PITTSBURGH — Bars on Pittsburgh’s North Shore were packed Sunday night with loud and passionate Seahawks and Patriots fans, but with just 73 days until the NFL Draft, many businesses were also using Super Bowl Sunday as a preview of what to expect in April.
Inside Jason Aldean’s Kitchen and Bar, nearly every eye was glued to the game.
“We’re excited. We love the Super Bowl. We’ve been hosting Super Bowl parties for years,” said Elizabeth Vitali.
For one group of friends, the night was not just about football.
They organized prop bets for the game, donating half of the winnings to the Beaver Humane Society.
“We’ve been doing prop bets for years and years, so we put them together,” one person said.
Some business owners say Super Bowl Sunday offered one of the last major stress tests before the draft arrives.
“One of the last big things that’s going to happen in our area until the draft,” another customer said.
Over at Tom’s Watch Bar, Billy Smalls, an operating partner, said the crowd gave his staff a first real look at the logistics they will face during draft weekend.
“I don’t think Pittsburgh has seen anything like this before. I don’t think it’s so much preparing for it as making sure you’re fully staffed and make sure you have a plan,” Smalls said.
Still, Smalls admitted it is hard to fully prepare without knowing exactly what draft weekend will bring.
“We’re just kind of nervous about what the area is going to look like and the space that we are going to have with this many people,” he said.
From a customer standpoint, many said they are confident the city is ready.
“I think Pittsburgh is going to show the world how awesome it is,” one fan said. “Everybody comes out like they said, and it’s going to be fantastic.”
Just last week, the NFL released the first official renderings of the 2026 draft.
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