Wish Kids Announce Lions, Seahawks Picks at 2026 NFL Draft

A 14-year-old Detroit Lions fan stepped to the microphone in Pittsburgh and delivered one of the NFL Draft’s most memorable moments, announcing that the Lions had taken offensive tackle Blake Miller of Clemson with the No. 17 overall pick. The appearance put Easton, a Make-A-Wish recipient, at the center of a national telecast and turned a routine first-round selection into a public tribute to children facing critical illnesses.

A second wish child joined Commissioner Roger Goodell on the draft stage to announce the Seattle Seahawks’ first-round pick at No. 32. Seattle selected running back Jadarian Price of Notre Dame, extending the same wish-granting format to another marquee team moment as the 2026 NFL Draft unfolded April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. The NFL said the stage appearance was part of a broader set of community and youth-focused events around the draft, which has become a high-visibility civic spectacle as much as a football transaction.

The wish appearances were folded into Disney’s new Week of Wishes campaign, which the company said marked its 45-year relationship with Make-A-Wish. Disney said it granted more than 170 signature wishes as part of the effort, using a company-wide promotional frame that connected theme parks, sports programming and philanthropy under one umbrella. Disney and Make-A-Wish also pointed to a long-running practice of granting a Disney wish every hour of every day, a statistic meant to underscore the scale of the company’s charitable outreach.

ESPN’s role gave the campaign a familiar sports storyline. The network has highlighted sports-related wishes through its My Wish franchise for 18 seasons, and it used the 2026 draft to keep that connection in view. The format was not new. In 2025, Sam and Tommy announced first-round picks for the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills as part of Disney Week of Wishes, showing how the NFL Draft has become a recurring stage for wish-granting moments that blend league spectacle with brand-driven philanthropy. The result is a carefully managed convergence of entertainment, corporate image and charitable outreach, with the emotional payoff delivered in front of one of the biggest audiences in American sports.