The Pitt football program has established itself as a path of reliability for those striving to make it to the NFL.
In all, 297 players have represented the University of Pittsburgh as draft selections – tying Wisconsin with the 19th-most choices in college football history.
Under head coach Pat Narduzzi, Pitt has continued that tradition of sending athletes to the next level.
In the last three years, Pitt has sent more players to the NFL via the draft than any other ACC program.
Last year, Pitt matched the most players selected in the Narduzzi era with six. This year, that number may be smaller, but it is still a sign of the strong pipeline that the Panthers have built over the past decade.
The expectation is that three players – Matt Goncalves, Bub Means and MJ Devonshire — could be selected anywhere from the third to the final round in this year’s draft with AJ Woods as a potential fourth selection, but more likely to go undrafted.
Goncalves has been a steady presence as a mid-round selection in mock draft circles after working out at Pitt’s Pro Day.
Meanwhile, Means has risen the boards recently and is receiving some positive acknowledgement from analysts.
For Devonshire, the defensive back is looking for a late-round selection before day three comes to a close.
With three draft hopefuls in this year’s process Narduzzi continues to see his players enter the NFL ranks.
Here are all the players selected to the NFL under Narduzzi:
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
2023 DRAFT:
Defensive End Calijah Kancey, 1st Round Pick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Offensive Tackle Carter Warren, 4th Round Pick, New York Jets
Running Back Israel Abanikanda, 5th Round Pick, New York Jets
Linebacker SirVocea Dennis, 5th Round Pick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Safety Erick Hallett, 6th Round Pick, Jacksonville Jaguars
Safety Brandon Hill, 7th Round Pick, Houston Texans
Seems like Devonshire ought to be ranked higher. I continue to think Marquis Williams deserves a look from NFL coaches, also. Means…I don’t see it, but hey, maybe if he had played with a more capable QB all season, I’d think differently.