The NFL is full of birds, from Seahawks and Cardinals to Ravens and Eagles. But the NFL Draft has become the place for boobirds, at least when league commissioner Roger Goodell first steps on stage.

The boos once bothered him, but not anymore.

Goodell, now overseeing his 20th draft, discussed the booing tradition as a guest on a recent episode of the “St. Brown Podcast.” He said there was no booing for his first four years, but that changed in 2011 when the NFL Draft was held amid a labor dispute and lockout.

“When I walked on stage, I could feel the boos, literally,” Goodell said. “Those were serious boos. Now they’re more playful, fun, and everybody is doing their thing.”

Goodell rode a bicycle onto the stage at last year’s draft in Green Bay, but not even the whimsical nod to a Packers tradition could silence the boos.

“Everybody gets a kick out of it,” Goodell said on the podcast hosted by Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and his brother Equanimeous, a former NFL player.

Philadelphia fans booed Goodell for nearly a minute in 2017. But remember that Eagles fans once booed Santa Claus, too.

In 2020, the NFL organized a remote booing during the pandemic. Fans booed Goodell by video stream, with him egging them on to boo better.

Even coming on stage accompanied by local celebrities and hometown NFL players hasn’t quieted the boos.

Turning the clock forward

Pittsburgh is on the clock for the first time in 78 years, but the city’s wait is almost over.

The NFL Draft officially gets underway at 8 p.m. Thursday when Goodell steps to the podium outside Acrisure Stadium and announces through boos that the Las Vegas Raiders have the first pick.

The three-day event includes seven rounds and 257 picks in all. Round 1 is Thursday, Rounds 2 and 3 are Friday and Rounds 4 through 7 are Saturday.

Pittsburgh is hosting the draft for the first time since 1948. Alabama quarterback Harry Gilmer was the first pick that year when the draft was held in a boardroom at the former Fort Pitt Hotel.

This year, another quarterback is slated to go first overall. Barring any last-minute surprise, the Raiders will select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and national champion.

The uncertainty starts with the second pick when the New York Jets are on the clock. It’s not known who they favor, but edge rushers David Bailey of Texas Tech or Arvell Reese of Ohio State are the likely options.

Let’s make a deal

The Pittsburgh Steelers have the 21st overall pick — at least for now.

Might general manager Omar Khan make a trade to move higher or lower in the first round? That’s something the Steelers did three years ago, when they moved up from 17 to 14 to select Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones.

Overall, many analysts see this year’s draft as rather unpredictable in terms of trades. Will there be many or few?

Over the past five years, the draft averaged 35 trades, including six on Day 1. Last year, teams made only four first-round trades.

As for the Steelers, their first pick seems most likely to be used on an offensive lineman or receiver.

Ready to run

Imagine, the draft is moving along nicely when suddenly a few players from the same position are picked in quick succession.

It’s a run!

Analysts say two positions look primed for a first-round run this year: offensive tackles and receivers.

“There’s either going to be a run on WRs or tackles in the teens and early 20s,” ESPN analyst Peter Schrager wrote last week on X. “There’s just not enough first round worthy talent elsewhere this year.”

Schrager’s latest mock draft has seven offensive tackles going in the first round. He projects five OTs getting drafted in a 12-pick stretch between 11 and 23. He predicts the Steelers taking Georgia tackle Monroe Freeling at 21.

But it’s not only the draft gurus who enjoy watching the position runs.

“It’s always interesting to me when the run starts on those positions, like last year with the offensive line,” Steelers coach Mike McCarthy said Monday. “Usually once it starts, it continues to go for quite some time.”

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QB quandary

The first round is usually a place for finding franchise quarterbacks.

A record-tying six quarterback went in the first round in 2024, matching the iconic 1983 class that featured future hall of famers John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino. Two QBs went in last year’s first round.

This year, however, only Mendoza is guaranteed to hear his name called in the first 32 picks. The QB with next-best hopes is Alabama’s Ty Simpson, who confidently came to Pittsburgh to spend Round 1 in the green room with the other top prospects.

Surely, the television cameras will find Simpson if the evening grows late and he’s still sitting there.

The Jets and Cardinals are his likely suitors, but neither seems poised to draft him with an early pick. For him to become a first rounder, the most likely scenario sees someone trading back into the first round to nab him late.

If not, Mendoza could be all alone.

The last time the first round included only one quarterback was 2022, when the Steelers took Kenny Pickett at 20.