Over the next few days, life-long dreams will come true for hundreds of college football players as they’ll officially become NFL Draft picks.
The 2023 NFL Draft will officially get underway tomorrow night in Kansas City and will conclude on Saturday.
During this three-day event, a number of Pitt Panthers will be anxiously awaiting to see if their name is called, and they receive the prestigious honor of being called an NFL Draft pick.
While star defensive tackle Calijah Kancey is the headliner and will be the first Panther selected, he won’t be the only one.
After Kancey, no one is a lock to go in a certain round and can go anywhere from the third round to the seventh. The players get talked about the most are Israel Abanikanda, Carter Warren, SirVocea Dennis, Brandon Hill, Erik Hallett and Haba Baldonado.
If Pitt were to have four to six players selected, that would be an impressive accomplishment and would continue a trend under Pat Narduzzi. Coming out of high school, one of the top things that recruits look for in a potential school is their track record of getting players to the NFL. That is something that the Pitt coaching staff is able to sell recruits.
During the Narduzzi era, here are the players that have gotten selected in the NFL Draft.
2016 Draft:
Wide Receiver Tyler Boyd, 2nd Round Pick, Cincinnati Bengals
2017 Draft:
Running Back James Conner, 3rd Round Pick, Pittsburgh Steelers
Offensive Guard Dorian Johnson, 4th Round Pick, Arizona Cardinals
Quarterback Nathan Peterman, 5th Round Pick, Buffalo Bills
Offensive Tackle Adam Bisnowaty, 6th Round Pick, NY Giants
Defensive End Ejuan Price, 7th Round Pick, LA Rams
2018 DRAFT:
Offensive Tackle Brian O’Neill, 2nd Round Pick, Minnesota Vikings
Safety Jordan Whitehead, 4th Round Pick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cornerback Avonte Maddox, 4th Round Pick, Philadelphia Eagles
2019 DRAFT:
Running Back Qadree Ollison, 5th Round Pick, Atlanta Falcons
2020 DRAFT:
Cornerback Dane Jackson, 7th Round Pick, Buffalo Bills
2021 DRAFT:
Defensive End Patrick Jones, 3rd Round Pick, Minnesota Vikings
Defensive End Rashad Weaver, 4th Round Pick, Tennessee Titans
Cornerback Jason Pinnock, 5th Round Pick, NY Jets
Defensive Tackle Jaylen Twyman, 6th Round Pick, Minnesota Vikings
Safety Damar Hamlin, 6th Round Pick, Buffalo Bills
Center Jimmy Morrissey, 7th Round Pick, Oakland Raiders
2022 DRAFT:
Quarterback Kenny Pickett, 1st Round Pick, Pittsburgh Steelers
Cornerback Damarri Mathis, 4th Round Pick, Denver Broncos
It would also be interesting to know where Pitt ranks in this department versus other FBS teams — both nationally and in the ACC??