Draft weekend recap: Where did the Pitt players go?

The 2018 NFL Draft season is in the books, and as of Sunday afternoon, 10 former Pitt players had been drafted or signed by NFL teams.

Brian O’Neill got things started on Friday when the Minnesota Vikings selected him in the second round. That was the highest draft position for a Pitt offensive lineman since Jeff Otah was a first-round pick in 2008.

On Saturday, two Pitt defensive backs were selected in the fourth round: safety Jordan Whitehead went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at pick No. 117 and cornerback Avonte Maddox was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 125.

Whitehead and Maddox were the first Pitt defensive backs to be drafted higher than the seventh round since 2007, when Darrelle Revis was a No. 1 pick.

When the Draft concluded, activity started for some of Pitt’s other draft-eligible players. Most of the attention was focused on receivers Jester Weah and Quadree Henderson. Weah took his size, speed and strength to the Houston Texans, while Henderson signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will see what he can contribute as a return specialist and potentially a slot receiver.

Henderson was of particular over the weekend since he opted to leave Pitt a year early, declaring for the Draft after just three seasons. O’Neill and Whitehead also left with eligibility remaining.

Pitt also had three offensive linemen sign as undrafted free agents this weekend. Guard/center Alex Officer and tackle Brandon Hodges signed with the Oakland Raiders, and tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith signed with the Houston Texans.

Punter Ryan Winslow opted to sign with the Chicago Bears. Tight end Matt Flanagan, who played one year at Pitt after arriving as a graduate transfer from Rutgers, signed with the Washington Redskins.

Pitt’s total of three drafted players was less than 2017, when the Panthers had five players selected. But 2018 did build the program’s streak of consecutive years with at least one draft pick to five. The longest streak of consecutive years with at least one pick was the 31-year stretch from 1961-93. But that streak was before the Draft was shortened to seven rounds; the longest streak of consecutive drafts with a Pitt player taken in the top seven rounds was 18 years from 1975-92.

In the 2000’s, Pitt went 12 consecutive years from 2000-11 with at least one player selected.