Draft night logistics
- The 2026 NFL Draft begins Thursday, April 23 at 8 p.m. ET from Pittsburgh, airing on ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network. - The Dolphins hold 11 total picks, including the 11th and 30th overall selections, while the 49ers have one first-round pick. - USA Today and team guides outline tickets, parking, and travel tips for fans planning to attend draft events in Pittsburgh. ( )
Pittsburgh’s draft week starts Thursday night, but fans heading downtown are being told to plan the trip before the first pick. The 2026 National Football League Draft opens at 8 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, April 23, from Point State Park and Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and NFL Network will carry the first round, with later rounds on Friday and Saturday. Entry to the NFL Draft Experience is free, but adults need to register through NFL OnePass or NFL.com/DraftAccess. The fan festival runs noon to 10 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, then 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. The host city is steering visitors away from driving into the North Shore and downtown core. Pittsburgh Regional Transit says light rail and the Monongahela Incline will be fare-free during the draft, and four “Football Flyer” bus routes will connect park-and-ride lots to stops near Point State Park and PNC Park. Pennsylvania transportation officials began state road closures on April 13 and said some restrictions will remain through the event. Visit Pittsburgh’s draft guide says fans should expect phased street closures around downtown and the North Shore and check routes before leaving. Inside the draft order, Miami is one of the busiest teams on opening night. The Dolphins say they hold 11 total picks, including Nos. 11 and 30 overall, plus a franchise-record seven selections in the top 100. San Francisco’s first round is quieter. The 49ers list six total picks and one first-round selection, No. 27 overall, after trading away their third-rounder in the Osa Odighizuwa deal and adding three compensatory picks in the fourth round. The league also shortened the clock between first-round picks from 10 minutes to eight minutes for 2026. NFL Football Operations says it is the first first-round timing change since 2008. Pittsburgh has not hosted the draft since 1948, and the league says this year’s event is the city’s first modern turn as draft host. By Thursday night, the football part starts on time; getting there is the part fans are being asked to treat like a game plan.
