Bostonian Ryan MacKenzie stepped off his 8 a.m. flight into Pittsburgh International Airport on Wednesday in a New England Patriots hoodie — among the thousands of fans descending on the city for the long-anticipated NFL Draft.
The Pats gear might not make him any friends in Pittsburgh, but MacKenzie’s trip is as much about reunion as it is about football. He’s meeting up with a group of former college roommates who now live in different states but still make a point to attend an NFL event together each year.
This time, the draft — and a first visit to Pittsburgh — made the choice easy.
“We all live in different states now and represent different teams, so this felt like the perfect excuse for us all to get together,” he said. “And plus none of us have ever been here before.”
Fans from across the country began pouring into Pittsburgh on Wednesday, to celebrate the long-anticipated weekend as the NFL Draft arrives.
Pittsburgh International Airport’s short-term waiting lot was filled with cars as locals anticipated the arrival of family and friends for the draft.
Linda Seidel, who lives in Monroeville, plans to host her parents and cousins for the sports-filled weekend. Her parents, who are native Pennsylvanians, retired in upstate New York, have been lifelong Steelers fans.
“When we heard this was happening here, it felt like probably our only chance to attend a big NFL event as a family,” Seidel said. “We couldn’t pass it up.”
Sewickley residents Joanne and Richard Byrne said they planned to open their doors to host their three college-aged, Steelers superfan nieces and nephews last year when they first heard of the NFL’s plans to host the draft in Pittsburgh.
“We aren’t the biggest sports fans, so we won’t be going Downtown,” Joanne Byrne said. “But the kids, they are ready to land and start exploring. They are hoping to convince us to go, so maybe. We’ll see.”
A network of road and bridge closures to accommodate the draft map will make navigating downtown Pittsburgh, from the North Side to Market Square, a challenging endeavor.
The draft experience will stretch from Thursday to Saturday, with the main stage along the North Shore, next to Acrisure Stadium and events planned throughout Point State Park.
Dallas residents Jessica and Marcio Gonzalez arrived Wednesday morning in Pittsburgh with a suitcase full of matching Dallas Cowboys outfits, ready for their first trip to the city. Season ticket holders back home, the couple said they’ve attended NFL Draft festivities before — including when the event was held in Dallas in 2018.
“It’s good because we kind of know what to expect,” Jessica Gonzalez said of the draft. “I am looking forward to seeing what they have changed and what new things they offer for fans.”