Kevin Cronin, a Dolphins fan from New Jersey who runs a TikTok account with 1.6 million followers under the name “Kickball Dad,” had never been to an NFL draft. This past weekend, he got his chance as the draft came to Pittsburgh.
“I have been watching the draft for years – never been to a draft,” Cronin said. “Finally, this year I said, ‘We got to go. Pittsburgh, let’s go.”
This was Cronin’s second time visiting Pittsburgh, with the first coming when the Steelers played the Dolphins in a Monday night game last season.
“We won’t talk about the result of that game,” Cronin said, referring to the Steelers’ 28-15 victory.
Between that game and his visit for this year’s draft, Cronin has come away with a positive impression of the city.
“Pittsburgh has been really cool and has a great atmosphere,” he said.
That is just the kind of reaction city officials have been hoping for since it was announced back in 2024 that Pittsburgh would be hosting this draft. The event was huge for both the league and the city, as 320,000 fans attended Thursday’s first-round selections, setting an NFL record.
The Draft Theater, where the picks were announced, was located outside of Acrisure Stadium. Thousands of fans lined up to watch players walk across the stage after they were drafted.
Fans could cross the Roberto Clemente Bridge over the Allegheny River to get to the Draft Experience in Point State Park.
Here, fans could compete in a 40-yard dash race, kick field goals, view all six of the Steelers’ Super Bowl trophies, purchase draft merchandise, take pictures, and buy food and drinks.
Throughout the three-day draft, fans were talking about players they wanted their teams to select.
Robert Gonzales, who was named the Detroit Lions Fan of the Year in 2023 by the NFL, said before Thursday night’s first round that he wanted the Lions to go with an offensive lineman in the draft.
“I believe that my team is going to draft an offensive lineman. I think it is either going to be Kadyn Proctor from Alabama or Monroe Freeling from Georgia.”
Proctor went at pick 12 to the Dolphins, but the Lions did go with an offensive tackle, picking Blake Miller from Clemson at pick 17. Freeling went a few picks later at 19 to the Panthers.
This is Gonzales’ eighth time attending the NFL draft. He was enjoying his time at this draft, saying, “I really like it.”
His favorite moment from the drafts he has attended, however, came in 2022, when the draft was in Las Vegas.
“My favorite draft memory is probably when we drafted Aidan Hutchinson with the second pick,” Gonzales said, referring to the star edge rusher. “It was amazing.”
Even though there were hundreds of thousands of attendees at the draft, the large setup of the event made it seem a lot less crowded. Steelers fan Mike Donnelly previously attended the 2022 draft in Las Vegas, but favors Pittsburgh’s setup.
“Honestly, this draft is way better. It is spread out more, and they have more things,” Donnelly said. “It’s just incredible what they have done here in the city.”
Chicago Bears fan Ben Florez, who has attended previous drafts, said that Pittsburgh did well.
“This is my fifth consecutive trip to the draft, and I love it here. I personally didn’t like the experience at Green Bay, and I’m not just saying that because I’m from Chicago. The hospitality (here) is great, and everyone is genuine and respectful,” Florez said.
Pittsburgh is a beautiful city, Florez said.
“Everything is very walkable, and the bridges are very convenient. If I had to change one thing, though, I would paint the bridges a nice Chicago orange and blue,” Florez said.
While many fans said they had a great time at the draft, the story for business owners was more mixed. While the draft was expected to bring in a lot of customers, results for businesses varied.
There was a pop-up burger stand in Market Square, just outside of the draft footprint, that was doing good business on Thursday afternoon. Similarly, on Friday afternoon, there was a 15-minute wait at Burgatory, located on the North Shore just beyond the Draft Theater area.
However, some businesses struggled during the draft.
The 1:11 Juice Bar, which had a pop-up stand at Market Square, was one of the many businesses that failed to meet their projected sales levels. Emily Thornton stated in a Saturday Facebook Post that low sales during the draft had forced the business to change its plans.
“We had plans to rest (Sunday) after a sellout from the draft, but we’re going to be on the road, moving juice,” she said.
Alihan’s Coffee and Breakfast near Market Square reported sales that were busier than an average day, but not what they were expecting.
Further out from the draft footprint, many businesses struggled, as Pittsburghers apparently avoided travel anywhere in the city because of traffic fears. As a result, businesses like Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. in the Strip District struggled throughout the weekend.
“We were completely dead. It was like a ghost town in the Strip District,” employee Craig Tenaglis said.
The Government Center record store on the North Side expressed some frustration in a Sunday Instagram post: “The draft is over. It’s safe to leave your homes!”
The NFL draft wasn’t always such a big event. For years, it wasn’t even televised. It was just a private event involving general managers and coaches.
But then in 1980, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle allowed ESPN to televise the draft, marking the beginning of its transformation into a prominent event.
In 2015, the NFL broke from its tradition of holding the draft in New York City by moving it to Chicago, starting the trend of rotating cities hosting the drafts. The record-breaking attendance in Pittsburgh shows how the draft has become a huge national event.
The first overall pick in the draft this year went as expected, with the Las Vegas Raiders selecting Fernando Mendoza, the national championship-winning quarterback from Indiana University. The Raiders are in need of a good quarterback, and Mendoza was the highest-ranked QB in the class.
The other quarterback who went in the first round was unexpected, with the Los Angeles Rams selecting Ty Simpson from Alabama.
Simpson is clearly a project for the future and will not start right away, especially because Matt Stafford won the MVP last season, despite being 38 years old. This pick does not improve the Rams current roster, but they may end up being grateful for this pick in a few years from now.
Ohio State was clearly the dominant college for high-level players, with four of the first 11 picks being Buckeyes. This is not abnormal for Ohio State, a school that regularly produces multiple top-10 picks.
With the 21st pick, the Steelers were originally planning to select Makai Lemon, a wide receiver from the University of Southern California. They were on the phone with Lemon when the Philadelphia Eagles traded up so that they could draft Lemon instead.
The Steelers ended up selecting Max Iheanachor, an offensive tackle from Arizona State. While Iheanachor may turn out to be an important player, the choice divided opinion among Pittsburgh fans. But Donnelly recognized the need for a lineman.
“I feel like we need a left guard or left tackle in the first round,” Donnelly said.
While there was a lot of excitement surrounding the first-round picks on Thursday, the rest of the weekend brought different experiences.
During the day on Friday, fans had the opportunity to watch big NFL names like James Conner and Ryan Shazier open Topps card packs at Acrisure Stadium.
On Friday night, Pittsburgh natives Wiz Khalifa and Bret Michaels performed on the theater stage before rounds two and three of the draft began. Michaels primarily played hits from his former group, Poison, and Khalifa got the crowd moving with songs like “Black and Yellow.”
Throughout the weekend, the draft was a great way for fans to support their teams and meet new people. Florez, the Bears fan, said the draft brings excitement and friendly conversation.
“The reason that I enjoy going to the draft so much is because you get to talk to fans of all 32 teams. You don’t have that at a regular football game,” Florez said.
For Bills fan Stephanie Steeney, the draft was a great social event.
“I personally haven’t really paid attention to the results of the different rounds. It doesn’t matter to me who my team drafts,” Steeney said. “I just enjoy meeting up with friends and having a nice time in the city.”
