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A Record Number of People Attended the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh on Thursday. Here's the Total.
The league said the first-day crowd topped the previous mark by more than 45,000 as fans filled the North Shore.
- On Thursday, Pittsburgh set a Round 1 NFL Draft attendance record with more than 320,000 fans, surpassing Detroit's previous mark of 275,000 set in 2024.
- The Draft Theater on the North Shore outside Acrisure Stadium reached capacity Thursday evening, forcing officials to redirect the massive crowd toward the stadium to watch the opening round.
- Las Vegas Raiders selected Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick, while David Bailey and Jeremiyah Love rounded out the top three selections of the 2026 draft.
- Hometown fans expressed disappointment when the Steelers selected Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor with the 21st pick, having hoped for a playmaker instead.
- Rounds 2 and 3 continue Friday in Pittsburgh as the 2026 NFL Draft works toward selecting 257 players over the three-day event.
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Record crowd highlights electric first night of NFL draft in Pittsburgh
Day 1 of the NFL draft has come and gone, and while some things went as expected — like Fernando Mendoza being selected No. 1 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders — there was still an unexpected storyline.
·Indiana, United States
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Pittsburgh pulls off a flawless Day 1 of the NFL Draft
PITTSBURGH — A sea of mostly black and gold — with a decent showing of Baltimore purple, Buffalo red, white, and blue, and Cleveland Brown — showed up in force Thursday in Pittsburgh for the NFL Draft, so much so that it broke the attendance record set in Detroit two years ago. “Pittsburgh, congratulations. You set a record for the first night of the draft: 320,000 people here tonight,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell proudly announced at the end…
·Washington, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources27
Leaning Left1Leaning Right2Center16Last UpdatedBias Distribution84% Center
Bias Distribution
- 84% of the sources are Center
84% Center
C 84%
11%
Factuality
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