The 16 NFL Draft 2026 prospects attending in the green room in Pittsburgh
The 2026 NFL Draft begins with the first round on Thursday night, and 16 players will be in the green room hoping to hear their names called.
Thursday marks the beginning of the 2026 NFL draft, and 16 players are set to be there in Pittsburgh for the first round as they hope to hear their names called by commissioner Roger Goodell. One notable player who will not be attending the draft is Fernando Mendoza . The 2025 Heisman Trophy winner and projected first overall pick opted against making the trip to Pittsburgh and will instead celebrate with his family in Miami.
Assuming Mendoza is the top pick, he'd be the first since Trevor Lawrence in 2021 to not attend the draft. However, quite a few of the draft's biggest names will be in Pittsburgh for the draft, including Ruben Bain Jr. , Caleb Downs, Jeremiyah Love and Francis Mauigoa.
Here's the full list of attendees . These 16 players will hope their waits are short when the first round of the draft begins on Thursday night. This article originally appeared on For The Win: NFL Draft green room 2026: Full list of players attending in person