Will NFL Draft reality meet expectations for economic impact?

PITTSBURGH — Hundreds of thousands of people will descend on Pittsburgh in less than three weeks for the NFL Draft. Along with predictions about how many football fans will be in town, there are bold estimates for how much the city will benefit from an economic perspective.

Businesses are using their best judgment to prepare for late April.

At Peppi’s on the North Side, they’re expecting huge demand. The old school sandwich shop has been a popular staple since the 1980s. Owner Jeff Trebac has been there every step of the way.

“We’ve had some longevity, and we’ve created our own little beast here,” he said.

Game day crowds have always been some of their biggest. Peppi’s Western Avenue location is a short walk from Acrisure Stadium. But the NFL Draft is uncharted territory for the eatery.

“Let’s say a Thursday night game, it’s a busy day, and when you take the potential of 10 times the stadium capacity, that’s a lot of people,” Trebac said. “How we prepare for that, I really -- I’m not quite sure.”

That is what businesses are weighing as they prepare for the biggest event the city has ever hosted. VisitPittsburgh is estimating between 500,000 and 700,000 football fans will be in the city.

“We arrive at those numbers based on our assessment of the last three host cities: Kansas City, Detroit and Green Bay,” said Jerad Bachar, President and CEO of Visit Pittsburgh.

Bachar said the economic impact is expected to be between $120 and $200 million. That includes money spent by the NFL, locals and visitors.

For recent drafts, cities reported $72 million in spending in Green Bay in 2025, $213 million in spending in Detroit in 2024 and $164 million in spending in Kansas City in 2023.

“Detroit is a much more comparable site to Pittsburgh just because they put this draft into a downtown area, the city core,” Bachar said.

Business owners around the city are betting on a big boost.

Jim Coen, owner of Yinzers in the Burgh in the Strip District, sent someone to Green Bay last year to see what items sold and what did not.

His stores, as late March, were already decked out in NFL Draft merchandise.

There’s everything from t-shirts and hats to sweatshirts and custom NFL Draft “Terrible Towels.”

“They go as fast as we get them,” Coen said.

He said business was slow during the cold months this winter, and his team is planning the draft will make up for the slow months and then some. He is encouraging Pittsburghers to shop local and is hoping out-of-towners make a stop at one of his stores if they venture into the iconic Strip District.

Coen expects long lines, and he’s prepared for it. They’ve ordered a lot of inventory and are increasing staffing ahead of the NFL Draft.

“Do you think it could compete with some of the biggest weeks you’ve ever seen?” asked Channel 11 investigative reporter Jatara McGee.

“I believe so, yes,” Coen said. “I prepared for that, you know. I prepared for huge sales, because we feel that we have such a really good opportunity to capitalize on.”

Back over at Peppi’s, they are also preparing for big numbers. But since the two stores, one on the north side and one in the Strip District, are small, they won’t be increasing staffing. Trebac said they will have the extra grill running and will be selling sandwiches on the street as well.

“We’re going to be preparing a lot of Roethlis ‘burgers,’” Trebac said with a smile. “Under pressure, we’re really good.”

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