Fans land in Pittsburgh for NFL draft: "I just love it here."

Fans are pouring into Pittsburgh, not just from across the country but from across the world, as the Steel City takes center stage for the NFL draft.

KDKA crews talked to fans who landed at Pittsburgh International Airport on Wednesday afternoon. Eduardo and Hector Hernandez are brothers who flew in from Texas for the draft. And they said it's not their first rodeo.

"We've been to a total of eight drafts," said Hector Hernandez from San Antonio. 

They said they've been attending draft events since 2017.

"Each event is in a different city, so that's what makes it interesting," said Eduardo Hernandez from Deo Rio. "It's a different venue, which makes it exciting in a different place. We've never been to Pittsburgh. We can't wait to see Pittsburgh."

"I've collected a patch from every draft we've been to," Hector Hernandez said, showing them off for every year from 2017 to 2025, except 2020 because of COVID-19. He said he's excited about getting one from Steelers Nation. 

The brothers said they booked their trip over a year ago to ensure they'd get a hotel right Downtown.

For those attending the draft for the first time, they offered some advice.

"Have good walking shoes. You need good walking shoes," Eduardo Hernandez said.

KDKA witnessed football fans from across the country landing in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, where they were greeted by airport volunteers and encouraged to take pictures in front of the draft photo experience booths that are set up inside the airport.

Steelers fan Mark Thomas said he doesn't need a Pittsburgh zip code to prove his loyalty. He flew in from St. Louis, Missouri, to represent the black and gold.

"I think it was kind of a calling," Thomas said. "I was born in '78, and the year the Steelers won the Super Bowl was '78, so I think it was just a match made in heaven. My dad had me on my on his knee, eating Doritos, my favorite chips, and he said I always used to like watching the Steelers play."

Thomas said he's looking forward to exploring the city more after visiting for a Steelers game in November.

"Besides seeing all the black and gold? The people, the sights, things I've never seen before here," Thomas said. "It's real lovely, friendly, good atmosphere here. I just love it here."

When asked what he thought of the Steelers, Thomas Thiel, a football fan from Bremen, Germany, joked, "The Steelers? Who? What?" 

The New York Jets fan landed at Pittsburgh International Airport after a 12-hour flight. 

"I'm the biggest Jets supporter, maybe outside the U.S," Thiel said. "I'm very interested in the draft and the new players and want to have the feeling of what's going on in Pittsburgh for the draft."

While football season doesn't start until September, fans said the draft is something they look forward to every year.

"I'm also a football coach back home in St. Louis, and seeing some of the guys get drafted, it's a great moment for them in their lives," said Gabe Scott from St. Louis. "And so, knowing that they're once young men like I coach in high school, seeing that their dreams come true is really awesome to see. I think football is just something that brings everybody together and unifies them, and I think we need more of that in the country."