9 Hall of Famers to appear at 2026 NFL Draft
Nine members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be on-site for the 2026 NFL draft, hosted April 22-24 in the city of Pittsburgh.
Hall of Famers RONDE BARBER (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Class of 2023), JEROME BETTIS (Pittsburgh Steelers, Class of 2015), JIMBO COVERT (Chicago Bears, Class of 2020), TONY DORSETT (Dallas Cowboys, Class of 1994), CALVIN JOHNSON (Detroit Lions, Class of 2021), CURTIS MARTIN (Class of 2012), DREW PEARSON (Dallas Cowboys, Class of 2021), JOHN STALLWORTH (Pittsburgh Steelers, Class of 2002) and DWIGHT STEPHENSON (Miami Dolphins, Class of 1998) are scheduled to make appearances.
This year's draft, hosted in the city of Pittsburgh for the first time since the 1948 NFL Draft, begins with Round 1 on Thursday night, April 23, and continues Friday, April 24, with Rounds 2 and 3. The draft will conclude Saturday, April 25, with Rounds 4-7.
Additionally, four active players — Arizona’s James Conner, Minnesota’s Brian O’Neill, Pittsburgh’s Joey Porter Jr. and Tennessee’s Jeffery Simmons — will help announce their clubs’ Day 2 selections.
Seven Day 2 announcers attended the University of Pittsburgh, including Dorsett (representing the Dallas Cowboys) — the school’s all-time leader in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and all-purpose yards — as well as Conner (Arizona Cardinals), Covert (Chicago Bears), Andy Lee (San Francisco 49ers), Bill Maas (Kansas City Chiefs), Martin (New York Jets) and O’Neill (Minnesota Vikings).
Ten of the presenters were born in the state of Pennsylvania, including Marques Colston (Harrisburg, representing New Orleans), Conner (Erie), Covert (Conway), Dorsett (Rochester), John Kuhn (York, representing Green Bay), Maas (Philadelphia), Martin (Pittsburgh), Pat McAfee (Plum, representing Indianapolis), Matt Millen (Hokendauqua, representing Las Vegas) and Paul Posluszny (Butler, representing Jacksonville).
|
CLUB |
PLAYER/LEGEND |
COLLEGE |
DRAFT ROUND/YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Arizona Cardinals |
James Conner * |
Pittsburgh |
3rd/2017 |
|
Atlanta Falcons |
Michael Turner |
Northern Illinois |
5th/2004 |
|
Baltimore Ravens |
Mark Ingram |
Alabama |
1st/2011 |
|
Buffalo Bills |
Shane Conlan |
Penn State |
1st/1987 |
|
Carolina Panthers |
Jake Delhomme |
Louisiana |
Undrafted/1997 |
|
Chicago Bears |
Jimbo Covert ** |
Pittsburgh |
1st/1983 |
|
Cincinnati Bengals |
Ken Anderson |
Augustana |
3rd/1971 |
|
Cleveland Browns |
Phil Dawson |
Texas |
Undrafted/1998 |
|
Dallas Cowboys |
Tony Dorsett ** |
Pittsburgh |
1st/1977 |
|
Dallas Cowboys |
Drew Pearson ** |
Tulsa |
Undrafted/1973 |
|
Denver Broncos |
TJ Ward |
Oregon |
2nd/2010 |
|
Detroit Lions |
Calvin Johnson ** |
Georgia Tech |
1st/2007 |
|
Green Bay Packers |
John Kuhn |
Shippensburg |
Undrafted/2006 |
|
Houston Texans |
Billy Miller |
Southern California |
7th/1999 |
|
Indianapolis Colts |
Pat McAfee |
West Virginia |
Undrafted/2009 |
|
Jacksonville Jaguars |
Paul Posluszny |
Penn State |
2nd/2007 |
|
Kansas City Chiefs |
Bill Maas |
Pittsburgh |
1st/1984 |
|
Las Vegas Raiders |
Matt Millen |
Penn State |
2nd/1980 |
|
Los Angeles Chargers |
Shawne Merriman |
Maryland |
1st/2005 |
|
Los Angeles Rams |
Tavon Austin |
West Virginia |
1st/2013 |
|
Miami Dolphins |
Dwight Stephenson ** |
Alabama |
2nd/1980 |
|
Minnesota Vikings |
Brian O'Neill * |
Pittsburgh |
2nd/2018 |
|
New England Patriots |
Deion Branch |
Louisville |
2nd/2002 |
|
New Orleans Saints |
Marques Colston |
Hofstra |
7th/2006 |
|
New York Giants |
Osi Umenyiora |
Troy |
2nd/2003 |
|
New York Jets |
Curtis Martin ** |
Pittsburgh |
3rd/1995 |
|
Philadelphia Eagles |
Brian Westbrook |
Villanova |
3rd/2002 |
|
Pittsburgh Steelers |
Jerome Bettis ** |
Notre Dame |
1st/1993 |
|
Pittsburgh Steelers |
Joey Porter Jr. * |
Penn State |
2nd/2023 |
|
Pittsburgh Steelers |
Joey Porter Sr. |
Colorado State |
3rd/1999 |
|
Pittsburgh Steelers |
John Stallworth ** |
Alabama A&M |
4th/1974 |
|
San Francisco 49ers |
Andy Lee |
Pittsburgh |
6th/2004 |
|
Seattle Seahawks |
Cliff Avril |
Purdue |
3rd/2009 |
|
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Ronde Barber ** |
Virginia |
3rd/1997 |
|
Tennessee Titans |
Jeffery Simmons * |
Mississippi State |
1st/2019 |
|
Washington Commanders |
Mark Rypien |
Washington State |
6th/1986 |
|
* - Active player; ** - Hall of Famer |
|||