2026 NFL Draft Recap — 805,000 Fans, a Historic Three Days in Pittsburgh

A quick note on perspective: I'm a Japanese NFL fan — I was actually on the ground in Pittsburgh for all three days of this draft. This recap covers the moments that stood out most, including one that matters a lot in Japan right now: Kansei Matsuzawa signing with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent.

Pittsburgh Sets the All-Time Record: 805,000 Over Three Days

Pittsburgh draft venue

Notable | #Pittsburgh #Attendance #Record

The first-ever NFL Draft held in Pittsburgh didn't just work — it shattered every attendance record the league had. Day 1 drew 320,000 fans to the North Shore area, blowing past the previous single-day record of 275,000 set by Detroit two years ago. The crowds spilled well beyond Acrisure Stadium into Point State Park, with the venue effectively at capacity before gates even officially opened. Over the three days, the cumulative turnout hit 805,000 — surpassing Detroit's 700,000-plus mark to set a new all-time high.

"I'd never been to Pittsburgh before, and I was genuinely surprised — airport workers were basically all wearing Steelers jerseys or 2026 Draft gear. The whole city was locked in on it. Games get loud, but a draft has this festival energy that's completely its own thing." — A Japanese NFL fan who attended all three days in person.

The 2027 NFL Draft is scheduled for the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Sources: Pittsburgh sets record with 320,000 present for first night of draft (NBC Sports) NFL says draft in Pittsburgh set attendance record (ESPN) Pittsburgh sets NFL Draft attendance record with 805,000 fans over 3 days (Yahoo Sports)

Fernando Mendoza Goes No. 1 to the Raiders: The Fourth "Triple Crown" QB in NFL History

Analysis | #FernandoMendoza #Raiders #No1Pick #Heisman

Las Vegas drafted Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick — and it was never seriously in doubt. Mendoza went 16-0 in 2025, then swept the Heisman Trophy, a College Football Playoff national championship, and the No. 1 overall selection in the same calendar year. That makes him just the fourth player in NFL history to complete that triple — joining Cam Newton (2011), Jameis Winston (2015), and Joe Burrow (2020). The numbers were exactly what you'd expect from a consensus top pick: 3,553 passing yards, 48 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 90.3 QBR.

GM John Spytek framed it plainly: "We need to make sure we never hold this pick again." By the Pro Football Reference composite, Las Vegas has ranked as the worst drafting franchise since 2000. Mendoza is the franchise reset button. He enters the 2026 season as the frontrunner for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Sources: Raiders draft Fernando Mendoza No. 1: The pick that must end decades of draft failure (CBS Sports) Raiders Get Their Guy: Las Vegas Drafts Fernando Mendoza with No. 1 Pick (Fox Sports) Raiders draft QB Fernando Mendoza with first overall pick (Yahoo Sports)

Jets Go Three-for-One on Day 1: Bailey, Sadiq, and Cooper in the First Round

Notable | #Jets #DavidBailey #1stRound #TradeUp

New York was the most aggressive team on Day 1, using the second overall pick and two additional first-round selections to overhaul the roster in one evening. At No. 2, the Jets took Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey — 14.5 sacks in 2025, Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, unanimous All-American — over Ohio State's Arvell Reese, who had been widely projected. Despite post-surgery questions that gave some teams pause, Fox Sports gave the Bailey pick an A grade, and he's the early favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

At 16, the Jets added Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq (51 catches, 560 yards, 8 TDs), then moved up to 30 via trade with the 49ers (sending 33 and 179) to close out the first round with Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr.

Sources: Jets take David Bailey at No. 2, then Kenyon Sadiq, Omar Cooper Jr. (Yahoo Sports) Meet David Bailey, the Edge Rusher the Jets Took at No. 2 (Fox Sports)

Notre Dame RBs Dominate Round 1: Jeremiyah Love at 3, Jadarian Price at 32

Analysis | #JeremiyahLove #JadarianPrice #NotreDame #RunningBack #PositionalValue

The analytics crowd who insists teams should never spend premium picks on running backs had a rough Thursday night. Arizona took Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 — the highest a running back has been drafted since Saquon Barkley went second overall in 2018. Love earned it: 1,372 rushing yards, 18 rushing TDs, 6.9 yards per carry, Doak Walker Award, unanimous All-American, and a Notre Dame program-record 21 total touchdowns, surpassing Jerome Bettis.

Then, with the 32nd and final pick of the first round, Seattle took Love's Notre Dame teammate Jadarian Price to replace the departed Kenneth Walker III. Two running backs from the same college program selected in the same first round — that hadn't happened since the AFL-NFL merger. Spotrac projects Love's rookie deal at four years, $50.5M, averaging $12.6M annually. The positional value debate will be relitigated on the field.

Sources: Cardinals draft Jeremiyah Love No. 3: Highest RB pick since Saquon Barkley (CBS Sports) Notre Dame's Jadarian Price, Jeremiyah Love: first teammates as first 2 RBs (Yahoo Sports) Seahawks take RB Jadarian Price with final pick of first round (NBC Sports)

Ty Simpson at 13: The Rams' Front Office Blindsided McVay — and He Said So Out Loud

Drama | #TySimpson #Rams #McVay #Surprise

The biggest shock of Day 1 came from Los Angeles. The Rams used the 13th pick on Alabama QB Ty Simpson — a player most boards had slotted somewhere in the 30s — and the fallout was immediate. GM Les Snead framed it as a long-term succession plan for Matthew Stafford. Fine. But head coach Sean McVay, speaking at the podium minutes after the pick, delivered a conspicuously clipped message: "This is still Stafford's team." He said it twice. The body language said the rest.

Simpson himself acknowledged he had almost no pre-draft contact with the Rams. This was a front-office call, and it landed in direct tension with a coaching staff whose stated goal is a Super Bowl run — not a developmental QB timeline. The pick split analysts sharply. It will be one of the most-watched situations in the NFL heading into 2026.

Sources: Rams select Alabama QB Ty Simpson No. 13 overall (CBS Sports) Surprise! Rams Draft Alabama QB Ty Simpson with 13th Overall Pick (Fox Sports) Decoding Sean McVay's tense press conference reaction after Rams baffling Ty Simpson pick (CBS Sports)

Eagles Steal Makai Lemon While He Was on the Phone With the Steelers

Drama | #MakaiLemon #Eagles #Steelers #Trade

The Eagles traded up from 23 — sending 23, 114, 137, and a seventh-round pick to Dallas — to land USC wide receiver Makai Lemon, the Biletnikoff Award winner, at No. 20. The timing was something else. As Philadelphia made the pick, Lemon was mid-conversation with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had been about to call him at 21. The Steelers scrambled to a backup plan and took Arizona State OT Max Ihianachor instead — but the sequence drew pointed criticism from commentators who felt the optics were poor for the home-city team.

Pittsburgh recovered on Day 2. The Steelers traded with Indianapolis to move up and take Alabama WR Germie Bernard at 47, then added Penn State QB Drew Allar in the third round for depth behind their existing QB room. A Japanese Steelers fan who attended in person said the trade-up moment was the highlight of his Day 2 — and he was right to say so.

Sources: Eagles trade up with Cowboys, take USC WR Makai Lemon (Yahoo Sports) NFL Draft Video Shows Eagles Taking Makai Lemon As He Was Talking to Steelers (FOX Sports)

Brotherhood: The Terrells in Atlanta, the Fanos in Cleveland

Heartwarming | #TerrellBrothers #FanoBrothers #Family #Falcons #Browns

The best storylines of any draft usually aren't the picks themselves. In 2026, two family moments stood above the rest.

On Day 2, Atlanta used the 48th pick on Clemson CB Avieon Terrell, uniting him with his older brother — All-Pro CB A.J. Terrell, already one of the best corners in the game. The two grew up together in Atlanta, went to Westlake High School together, played at Clemson together. A.J. had previously said publicly that he wanted his brother to forge his own path elsewhere. When the pick was announced, the brothers embraced and both were in tears. CBS gave Atlanta's draft an A+. The Falcons' cornerback room is now legitimately elite.

Then came Day 3. Cleveland had already taken Utah OL Spencer Fano with the ninth overall pick on Thursday night. After the draft concluded, the Browns signed his brother Logan Fano as an undrafted free agent — the two had played three seasons together at Utah. Logan tore his ACL twice across a five-year college career and fought back each time. Four of their uncles played in the NFL. Now they're both Browns.

Sources: Falcons draft Avieon Terrell, pair him with brother A.J. Terrell (CBS Sports) Avieon Terrell joins brother A.J. Terrell after being drafted by Falcons (Yahoo Sports) After drafting Spencer Fano, Browns sign his brother Logan Fano (NBC Sports)

The 2026 QB Class: Two Went Early, Three Fell Hard — and Heisman Runner-Up Pavia Went Undrafted

Drama | #QBClass #CarsonBeck #DrewAllar #GarrettNussmeier #DiegoPavia

Mendoza at 1 and Simpson at 13. After those two went, the rest of the 2026 quarterback class played out as a slow-motion fall.

Arizona kicked off Day 2 by taking Miami's Carson Beck at No. 65 in the third round — Beck had transferred from Georgia and guided his team to the national title game, but arm-strength concerns and an existing UCL injury pushed him well out of the first round. Pittsburgh took Penn State's Drew Allar at 76; a left ankle fracture requiring surgery in 2025 cost him a full season and several spots on draft boards. And then there was LSU's Garrett Nussmeier, who had been floated as a first-round candidate before his stock slid through nine QBs ahead of him before Kansas City finally took him at pick 249 in the seventh round.

The most jarring storyline: Diego Pavia — Heisman Trophy runner-up, second-most votes behind Mendoza — went undrafted. Height (under 5-foot-10 at the combine) was the primary factor. Pavia became the first Heisman finalist to go undrafted since Jordan Lynch in 2014. One more wrinkle: Pavia had told reporters at Jon Gruden's QB Camp that he had no agent. NFLPA records showed he had registered one in January. That discrepancy added another strange footnote to an already unusual draft exit.

Sources: Cardinals take QB Carson Beck at No. 65 (NBC Sports) 2026 NFL Draft: Penn State QB Drew Allar goes to Steelers as possible Aaron Rodgers heir (Yahoo Sports) Chiefs select LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier late in seventh round (NBC Sports) Diego Pavia is the first Heisman finalist to go undrafted since 2014 (NBC Sports)

Pick 57 Gets Free Heinz Ketchup for Life: Only in Pittsburgh

Notable | #LoganJones #Heinz #Pittsburgh #Bears

Only Pittsburgh could produce this one. When Chicago took Iowa center Logan Jones at pick 57, Heinz — headquartered in Pittsburgh, home of the famous "57 Varieties" label — awarded him the "Mr. 57" title and a lifetime supply of ketchup. Jones earned it in more than just name: he was one of only three FBS centers in 2025 who logged 500-plus snaps without allowing a single pressure or sack. A genuinely rare player getting a genuinely local honor. This is exactly what makes a city draft feel different from any neutral-site event.

Sources: Why the 57th overall NFL draft pick will get this tasty perk free for life (CBS Sports)

Kansei Matsuzawa Signs With the Raiders: Japan's First-Ever NFL Player Takes His First Step

Notable | #KanseiMatsuzawa #Japan #UDFA #Raiders #Kicker

For non-Japanese readers: this one carries a lot of weight in Japan. Matsuzawa is a kicker from Japan who taught himself the fundamentals via YouTube, walked on at a community college in Ohio, transferred to the University of Hawaii, and became one of the best kickers in the Mountain West. He didn't get drafted — but he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent through the NFL's International Player Pathway program. In Japan, this is front-page sports news.

The on-field résumé is real. In 2025, Matsuzawa connected on 27 field goals — tying the FBS record for consecutive makes with his first 25 — and set the University of Hawaii's all-time FG record. He was a Lou Groza Award finalist. The Raiders' current kicker is Matt Gay, an eight-year veteran with a Pro Bowl selection, so Matsuzawa is not walking into an open competition. The realistic path runs through the practice squad under the IPP exemption — training camp, preseason, and developing from there.

But as a Japanese fan watching this play out in real time: the journey is worth following regardless of how the roster decisions land. (For more on the IPP pipeline and what it realistically takes to stick, the Charlie Smyth piece covers the full picture.)

Sources: Raiders sign kicker known in Tokyo (Yahoo Sports) Matsuzawa signs with Raiders as undrafted free agent (Japan Times)

Mr. Irrelevant: Red Murdock, Pick 257 — and the Shadow of Brock Purdy

Wrap | #MrIrrelevant #RedMurdock #Broncos #BrockPurdy

Denver closed out all 257 picks of the 2026 NFL Draft by taking Buffalo LB Red Murdock — and "irrelevant" is a generous description of how he played in college. Murdock holds the NCAA's all-time record for forced fumbles (17), finished his final season with 142 tackles, 5 sacks, and 6 forced fumbles, and is genuinely the kind of player who earns a shot.

The Mr. Irrelevant title means something different now than it did a decade ago. Brock Purdy, the 2022 final pick, took the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC West title and a Super Bowl appearance. The last pick of the draft carries actual expectations now — and Murdock gets to start his career with that precedent hanging over him.

Three days. 805,000 fans. The first pick through the last: Pittsburgh delivered.

Sources: 2026 NFL Draft: Meet This Year's 'Mr. Irrelevant,' Buffalo LB Red Murdock (Fox Sports) Broncos make Buffalo's Red Murdock Mr. Irrelevant with final pick (Yahoo Sports)