Pitt had six former players selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, but there was only one player (Calijah Kancey to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) went over the first two days.
Kancey went on the first night, a first-round selection at No. 20, and there wasn’t a Panthers player who went on Day 2. And then five Panthers went on Day 3. The volume may not be the same, but it’s shaping up in a similar way this year.
Matt Goncalves was the lone Panther selected through the first two days, a third round selection by the Indianapolis Colts, but I’d imagine there are a couple of Panthers selected Saturday afternoon. There won’t be five players, but two — maybe three — will very likely hear their names called.
According to ESPN, Bub Means is the seventh-ranked wide receiver left on the board, M.J. Devonshire is the 15th-ranked cornerback, A.J. Woods is the 33rd-ranked cornerback and former Pitt quarterback Kedon Slovis is the third-ranked quarterback.
So, who’s left for Pitt? And bear in mind, this is looking at draft picks and potential post-draft pickups.
Expected Draft Picks
Bub Means — wide receiver
Means legged out a 4.49 40-yard dash in his first attempt at the 2024 NFL Combine, and he came out even faster on his second attempt with an impressive 4.43 — one of the top marks among wide receivers in attendance.
He measured in at 6-foot-1, 212 pounds, and he has 33 2/8-inch arms, 10 1/8-inch hands and a 79 3/8-inch wingspan. It’s exactly what Means needed to showcase to NFL personnel, a well-built frame with above-average physical traits. He also put in a 39.5-inch vertical and a 10-foot-7-inch broad jump in the drills portion of his experience.
Obviously, the football aspect is paramount. Means, who by all accounts grew leaps and bounds during his time at Pitt, has to be able to show that he can compete — and thrive — at the next level. And it was certainly an up-and-down experience on the football field during his time as a Panther.
He hauled in 68 receptions for 1,122 yards (16.5 yards per reception) and eight touchdowns during his Pitt career, and he broke out as the leading receiver last season. It was a tale of two halves last season. He caught 41 balls for 721 yards and six touchdowns last season, but 650 yards and all six touchdowns came over the final eight games — averaging 81 receiving yards per game.
M.J. Devonshire — cornerback
He finished the 2023 season with 32 tackles (18 solo), 0.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and 10 pass breakups. He was a workhorse in 2023, taking a team-high 662 defensive snaps, and according to PFF, he allowed just a 47.4 completion percentage when targeted by opposing quarterbacks.
And on the night that Darrelle Revis returned to Pittsburgh to be inducted into the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame, serving as an honorary captain before the Louisville game, Devonshire showed up in a major upset win.
Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer targeted Devonshire 14 times Saturday night. 14. And Devonshire allowed just four completions for 34 yards, broke up five pass attempts and picked off Plummer once. It was a pretty impactful interception, too.
In his Pitt career, after playing his first two seasons at Kentucky, he finished with 83 tackles (51 solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, eight interceptions (three returned for touchdowns) and 21 pass breakups. And he was an All-ACC punt returner in 2022.
Potential Draft Picks/UDFAs
A.J. Woods — cornerback
Woods runs well, his speed and agility are elite, and it’s not as if he’s just sat on the bench at Pitt. He played in 59 games over five seasons as a Panther (making 13 starts) and racked up over 1,700 defensive snaps. In those five seasons, playing as a special teamer as a freshman, he racked up 102 tackles (69 solo), seven tackles for loss, two sacks, four interceptions and 25 pass breakups. He’s honed himself against some of the best the ACC has to offer — and helped the Panthers win an ACC championship.
It’s a defensive scheme that breeds fast, physical cornerbacks, but that’s only if a cornerback is able to stick in the system. It’s not for everyone, but Woods embraced it.
Marquis Williams — cornerback
Williams racked up 26 tackles (16 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, an interception and four pass breakups in 2023 — bringing his career totals to 109 tackles (86 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, six interceptions (with two returned for touchdowns), 12 pass breakups and a forced fumble.
According to PFF, Williams allowed just 15 receptions for 210 yards and no touchdowns on 26 targets this season. He didn’t allow a single touchdown in two of his last three seasons at Pitt either.
Williams played in 60 games during his career in Pittsburgh, starting every game over the last three seasons as a key cog on and off the field for the Panthers.
Malcolm Epps — tight end
Epps has had an up-and-down college career since committing to Texas as a four-star tight end in the class of 2018, but he’s a huge pass catcher who’s had major success at times during his collegiate career — in which he’s recorded 46 receptions for 598 yards (13 yards per reception) and seven touchdowns.
In his one season at Pitt, he caught nine passes for 115 yards (12.8 yards per reception) and showcased a jumbo skillset at Pitt Pro Day.
Phil Jurkovec — tight end
Jurkovec completed 57-of-112 pass attempts (50.9%) for 818 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions through four-and-a-half games last season, but it didn’t work as a quarterback.
He threw for 6,224 passing yards with 43 touchdowns and 20 interceptions — adding 627 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground — in his college career. He put together his best season under Frank Cignetti Jr. at Boston College in 2020, but it went downhill in the following seasons.
He never truly played tight end at the college level, not with just a few games left in his collegiate career, but he measured and tested pretty well on Pro Day. He’s big and physical, but he tested well in the process — 33-inch vertical, 9-foot-4 broad jump and a 4.86 4-yard dash. He was happy with his jumping.
It remains to be seen whether or not Jurkovec will garner the NFL Draft interest he once expected, but he feels like his Pro Day showing (and perhaps his collegiate experience) will lead to an opportunity down the line.
Former Pitt Prospects
Kedon Slovis — BYU quarterback
Slovis was an interesting case at Pitt.
In 11 games, missing the second half of the Tennessee loss in 2022, he completed 184-of-315 pass attempts (58.4%) for 2,397 yards with 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions. And despite a 9-4 record, capped by a win in the Sun Bowl, it was a largely disappointing season at the quarterback position.
Regardless, he showed potential during his stint at USC before arriving at Pitt. But in his lone season at BYU, he wasn’t exactly productive.
John Morgan III — Arkansas defensive end
Morgan ended his Pitt career with 73 tackles (47 solo), 23 tackles for loss, 14 sacks and three forced fumbles, a recovery and two pass breakups. His best statistical season came in the 2021 ACC title-winning season, recording 27 tackles (19 solo), 6.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a recovery.
In one season at Arkansas, he recorded 15 tackles (eight solo), four tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and a pass breakup — in 11 games.
oooof,,this is why they are in a bad way…no NFL talen on roster