Rich Praises the Steelers’ 2026 NFL Draft & Pittsburgh as the Host City

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania drew more than 800,000 fans to the makeshift draft footprint along the confluence beside Acrisure Stadium, and Rich returned to his show convinced the host city and the home team both delivered the kind of week the league hopes for whenever it puts the draft on a road show.

"It was incredible. Over 800,000 people," Rich said. "The commissioner made that announcement uh amidst the raindrops on Saturday." The weather turned cold and damp by Saturday, but the carpet stayed rolled out and Steelers fans booed Ravens fans without ever crossing into anything uglier, a backdrop that set the tone for a Pittsburgh draft class Rich graded enthusiastically.

The Steelers used their first-round pick on Arizona State tackle Maxi Hanachure, an answer to a roster problem made urgent by the neck injury threatening the future of incumbent Broderick Jones. They added Alabama receiver Jeremy Bernard in the second round, a complement to DK Metcalf and the rest of a passing game Rich expects Aaron Rodgers to inherit. Then came Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in the third, a swing on size, traits, and the chance to develop a passer the way new head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy intend to develop one.

"It's about the quarterback room," McCarthy said. "Uh I've always approached it that way. I learned it that way as a as a young coach. It's about training the whole room together." McCarthy framed Allar as part of a long developmental philosophy, and Ian Rapoport reported on the broadcast that Pittsburgh is now open to trading Mason Rudolph, a sequence Rich tied directly to the Green Bay tradition McCarthy comes from. "That's the Green Bay way of doing things," Rich said. "Ron Wolf used to draft a quarterback every year."

Day three drew Rich's loudest praise. The Steelers added Iowa offensive lineman Jennings Dunker, a mullet-wearing Pennsylvanian Rich predicted will become a folk figure in the city, plus teammate Kaden Ouijan and Indiana tight end Riley Noacowski. The emotional peak came when Pittsburgh native Eli Hidenrike, drafted out of Navy, walked the green room in his dress uniform.

"He comes out and the place went absolutely crazy," Rich said. "Absolutely nuts. So, the Steelers soup to nuts have had a great week and weekend." He admitted he woke up Monday humming Renegade and could not shake it loose, the kind of detail that, for Rich, is its own form of grading.