It’s the dream of just about every college football player to make it to the NFL, and while draft night is the exciting part, it’s not official until the pen hits the paper.
Former Pitt stars Bub Means and M.J. Devonshire made it official Friday morning, signing their rookie contracts with the New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders, respectively. A.J. Woods signed a UDFA deal with the Washington Commanders following the 2024 NFL Draft.
Matt Goncalves has not signed with the Indianapolis Colts yet, but he has been given the 71 jersey.
The Raiders selected Devonshire with the 229th pick (seventh round) of the 2024 NFL, becoming the third Panther selected behind Goncalves (Colts) and Means (Saints).
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 — returned for a touchdown.
In his Pitt career, following 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.
The Saints selected Means with the 170th pick (fifth r0und) in the 2024 NFL — the second Panther to be selected following Goncalves.
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. And after an 11-target, 0-catch performance against Cincinnati in Week 2, many questioned whether or not Means had what it took to cut it at Pitt. He didn’t.
“This is football so at the end of the day, I’m a competitor,” Means told PSN in January. “So, that game did bother me a little bit, but it didn’t bother me like, it’s gonna shock my confidence. No, I went back to work. That made me want to get better; that made me want to get back in the lab. It made me hungry. I don’t like when everything goes my way all the time because life isn’t like that, sometimes you need games like that to wake you up.”
Means, and Pitt as a whole, had a tough game against Cincinnati. And there was no instant fix. He had just six catches for 71 yards through the first four games of the season. He found the answer, though, even through three different quarterbacks, he found the answer. He hit the 71-yard mark in all but one of his next eight games.
Means showcased a lot of potential down the stretch, serving as one of the best wide receivers in the ACC, and he banked on that showing to earn a place in the NFL. He has the raw potential. It’s about showing the NFL he can do it now.
“I just felt like I did everything I could in college,” Means said. “And I’m ready to take the next step to the next level. I feel like the feedback I got was decent enough for me to come out, that’s all it was. I’m just betting on myself.”
The Raiders got a steal .