What is the NFL draft without music? The easy answer is it is exactly what it is supposed to be: An event where American football teams have a chance to choose former college players to be part of their rosters. Seems simple, right? Far from it.
The NFL wants everything to be an event. The Super Bowl has a halftime show, and so do the Thanksgiving and Christmas Day games. The draft has an entire "Entertainment Series" where musicians of different genres play on Days 2 and 3 of the draft.
In 2026, that will include hip-hop artist Wiz Khalifa and Poison frontman Bret Michaels performing on Friday, April 24, the same day that the draft has rounds two and three. On Saturday, April 25, country singer Kane Brown will be the musical act.
NFL announces musical guests for the league's Draft Entertainment Series in late April
Khalifa and Michaels aren't random choices. The rapper grew up in Pittsburgh, and he has had a No. 1 single called "Black and Yellow," the colors of the hometown Steelers.
Michaels grew up in Butler, Pennsylvania, about 40 minutes from Pittsburgh. He has previously stated he is a lifelong Steelers fan, too.
As for Kane Brown, he is from Tennessee, so his inclusion at the event seems to be more of a commercial enterprise by the NFL. Brown is a country-pop star with loads of good-selling singles. The league could have chosen anyone, and, well...they picked Brown.
On Day 1 of the NFL draft, which is when the first round will occur, there won't be a large-selling musical guest, but still a worthy one. Jazz artist KELS will perform the national anthem, and the James Weldon Johnson Foundation’s National Hymn Choir, featuring The Heritage Gospel Chorale of Pittsburgh, will do "Lift Every Voice and Sing."
Persons wanting to go to the NFL draft Entertainment Series, which is a free event (it would be nearly impossible for it not to be free with so many people there to see the draft itself), can pre-register at the NFL's official site. You can find that by just...clicking...here.