The NFL Draft returns to Pittsburgh for the first time since 1948, with up to to 700,000 fans expected at the three-day event starting Thursday. The Las Vegas Raiders hold the first overall pick after securing it via a strength-of-schedule tie-breaker among four teams that finished 3-14 last season. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza is expected to be the first name called, having led Indiana to their first national championship and won the Heisman Trophy as the year's best college player.

Mendoza would become the first player since Joe Burrow in 2020 to win the Heisman, claim a national title, and be selected first overall in the same year. This year's quarterback class is notably weaker than recent drafts - Mendoza could be the only first-round QB, with Alabama's Ty Simpson the only other potential day-one selection. Last year's draft delivered one of the biggest shocks in recent memory when projected top pick Shedeur Sanders fell to the fifth round at pick 144, sparking a social media storm in the US.

Beyond quarterbacks, five players from 2024 national champions Ohio State are in attendance, with four - pass rusher Arvell Reese, linebacker Sonny Styles, wide receiver Carnell Tate and safety Caleb Downs - tipped for the first 10 picks. Running back Jeremiyah Love and defensive tackle Lee Hunter, nicknamed 'The Fridge', are also generating significant buzz. The International Player Pathway programme continues to produce intriguing prospects, with Nigerian offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, who started playing American football just five years ago after moving to the US at 13, potentially sneaking into the first round.

The first round begins Thursday at 20:00 ET (01:00 BST Friday), with the time for each selection reduced from 10 to eight minutes. Rounds two and three follow on Friday, with rounds four to seven on Saturday. The draft is free to attend with events held inside and outside Acrisure Stadium on Pittsburgh's North Shore.