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Essentials Inside The Story

  • Legends and active players to announce second and third round picks
  • The list of presenters includes nine Pro Football Hall of Famers
  • Pat McAfee to announce a second draft selection in his career

Pittsburgh is set to host the 2026 NFL Draft for the first time since 1948, with the three-day event kicking off on April 23 and running through April 25. Just hours before one of the biggest offseason events, the NFL announced the legends and current players who will represent all 32 teams by announcing picks in the second and third rounds in Pittsburgh, including former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee and former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis.

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Take a look at all the legends and active players who will announce the selections this week:

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TeamsPlayers/Legends
Arizona CardinalsJames Conner
Atlanta FalconsMichael Turner
Baltimore RavensMark Ingram
Buffalo BillsShane Conlan
Carolina PanthersJake Delhomme
Chicago BearsDan Covert
Cincinnati BengalsKen Anderson
Cleveland BrownsPhil Dawson
Dallas CowboysTony Dorsett
CowboysDrew Pearson
Denver BroncosTJ Ward
Detroit LionsCalvin Johnson
Green Bay PackersJohn Kuhn
Houston TexansBilly Miller
Indianapolis ColtsPat McAfee
Jacksonville JaguarsPaul Posluszny
Kansas City ChiefsBill Maas
Las Vegas RaidersMatt Millen
Los Angeles ChargersShawne Merriman
Los Angeles RamsTavon Austin
Miami DolphinsDwight Stephenson
Minnesota VikingsBrian O’Neill
New England PatriotsDeion Branch
New Orleans SaintsMarques Colston
New York GiantsOsi Umenyiora
New York JetsCurtis Martin
Philadelphia EaglesBrian Westbrook
Pittsburgh SteelersJerome Bettis
SteelersJoey Porter Jr.
SteelersJoey Porter Sr.
SteelersJohn Stallworth
San Francisco 49ersAndy Lee
Seattle SeahawksCliff Avril
Tampa Bay BuccaneersRonde Barber
Tennessee TitansJeffrey Simmons
Washington CommandersMark Rypien

Among the 32 players, the list of presenters includes nine Pro Football Hall of Famers. That group includes Ronde Barber, Jerome Bettis, Dan Covert, Tony Dorsett, Dermontti Dawson, Dan Marino, Drew Pearson, John Stallworth, and Dwight Stephenson. On top of that, Brian O’Neill, Joey Porter Jr., Jeffrey Simmons, and James Conner are the four active players set to announce selections.

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Meanwhile, Dorsett, Conner, Covert, Lee, Maas, Martin, and O’Neill all attended the University of Pittsburgh. Last but not least, ten of the presenters were born in the state of Pennsylvania: Marques Colston (Harrisburg), James Conner (Erie), Covert (Conway), Dorsett (Rochester), John Kuhn (York), Bill Maas (Philadelphia), Curtis Martin (Pittsburgh), Pat McAfee (Plum), Matt Millen (Hokendauqua), and Paul Posluszny (Butler).

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For McAfee, meanwhile, this draft carries added significance, as it marks the second time the former Colts punter will announce a selection. Back in 2019, McAfee called the Colts’ third-round pick of Bobby Okereke. This week, he’s back again. Which player he’ll announce remains uncertain, with Day 2 of the draft still a couple of days away.

Day 1, meanwhile, is expected to bring its own level of unpredictability, especially with the NFL introducing a major change to the first round of the 2026 draft.

The NFL reduced the first-round pick window by two minutes

Starting with the 2026 NFL Draft, Roger Goodell’s NFL has introduced a new rule for the first round. Under the change, teams will now have just eight minutes to make their selection on Day 1. It marks the first adjustment in over 15 years, dating back to when the league reduced the pick window from 15 minutes to 10 ahead of the 2008 draft.

The goal behind the eight-minute window is to bring the total duration of the opening round down to around two hours and 30 minutes. That’s a noticeable reduction from last year’s draft, cutting roughly an hour from the overall timeline.

As for the later rounds, there are no changes. Teams will still have seven minutes per pick in Round 2, five minutes from Rounds 3 through 6, and four minutes in Round 7. Not everyone, though, is fully on board with the adjustment. Omar Khan is one of them. The Steelers general manager said:

“I’d love to have 10 minutes, but it’s the same for everybody else. Eight minutes is what it is, but two minutes, it feels like an eternity sometimes.”

On paper, it’s only a small reduction. In practice, those two minutes can impact how a general manager approaches trade scenarios, especially when considering moving up or down in the first round. How that change plays out will become clearer soon, with the first round just hours away.

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Keshav Pareek

2,275 Articles

Keshav Pareek is a Senior NFL Features Writer at EssentiallySports, where he has covered two action-packed football seasons. He also contributes to the ES Behind the Scenes series, spotlighting the lives of top NFL stars off the field. Keshav is known for weaving humor into serious sports writing and connecting with readers by tapping into the emotional heart of the game. He’s particularly fascinated by the NFL Draft’s “Green Room” drama and remains puzzled by Shedeur Sanders’ unexpected draft slide, an outcome he calls downright baffling. With a fresh wave of breakout talent on the horizon, Keshav is primed for another thrilling season. A lifelong NFL fan, Keshav closely follows quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, drawing inspiration from their leadership and playmaking ability in his coverage. He brings a mix of sharp analysis and narrative storytelling to every story, providing readers with a compelling view of the league both on and off the field.

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Antra Koul

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