Another day, another dose of the draft.
Gates open at noon. Fans can participate in various fan experiences in the hours leading up to the second and third rounds of the draft, with selections starting at 7 p.m.
Various players — including Damar Hamlin, James Conner, Levon Kirkland, Willie Parker, Jaylen Warren, Mark Ingram, Ryan Shazier, John Stallworth and Lynn Swann — are expected to make appearances, along with cheer squads from several teams.
Wiz Khalifa and Bret Michaels will sing from the draft theater near Acrisure Stadium at 5:30 p.m.
The American Heart Association is teaming up with the NFL and Damar Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation to attempt to secure a Guinness World Records title for the most people to complete CPR training in an hour, starting at noon.
Fans will also see pop-up events at Market Square and Arts Landing Downtown.
How to get there
Various road closures have made navigating to the event tricky. Closures started weeks ago, with more roads shutting down as the event drew closer.
Officials are urging people to use public transit to limit traffic.
Four special “Football Flyer” express bus routes, running roughly every 15 minutes from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m., will drop people off near Point State Park and the North Shore.
Riders can use the T and the Monongahela Incline for free on draft days.
The Gateway Clipper Fleet is offering a special draft shuttle, ferrying people between North Shore and Station Square for $10 per trip, Friday and Saturday.
A full list of road closures and public transit routes is available here.
What to take — or not — to the draft
Fans heading to the draft should have their registration through the NFL’s OnePass app.
The league has outlined various restrictions on what fans can bring into the footprint.
Anyone attending the draft should bring only clear bags or bags no bigger than 4½-by-6½ inches. Even clear bags are capped at 12-by-6 inches and can have logos on only one side.
Other banned items include: alcohol; animals, except service animals; banners; flags or signs larger than 22-by-28 inches; bottles, cans, Thermoses, coolers, glass containers, cups and cans; chairs or stools; drones; firearms, weapons, knives and explosives; fireworks; footballs, Frisbees or other balls; illegal substances; laser pointers; motorized scooters and skateboards; noisemakers; whistles or horns; sticks and missile-like objects; tripods and umbrellas.
Strollers are permitted but bags and blankets will be inspected.
Small cameras and binoculars are allowed — but not professional-grade recording equipment.
More details are available here.
What else is happening around the draft?
Much of the attention will be on the draft footprint at North Shore and Point State Park but various other events are scheduled around it, too.
Pop-Tarts is bringing what it dubs the “edible mascot ritual” to the North Shore for a “sacrifice for the fans” where a strawberry Pop-Tart is sent to “mouth heaven” by draft attendees. People can participate or snap photos with the Pop-Tarts mascot at Nova Place at 3 p.m. Friday
People can watch “The Football Town” for free at Kamin Science Center, enjoy live bands and DJ sets at the Pitt Block Party in Arts Landing or take in the “HBCU: Fields of Dreams to Pro Football Hall of Fame Exhibit” at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center.
Additional information on events is available here.