Means thrives in pro day setting
The NFL Draft process is a grind for a lot of football players who train for months on end to get the techniques down just right to perform in a combine setting. It is a highly stressful road to travel because careers and fortunes can be made by how well these guys test in front of scouts. There are some prospects who naturally thrive in combine style drills, then there are others who almost defy logic, like Bub Means.
“That dude is a freak,” former Pitt tight end Malcolm Epps said of Means. “He’ll eat a bag of Hot Chips and a sweet tea before practice and go crazy. I don’t get it.”
Not many people do.
The NFL is littered with gifted athletes and chalk Means up as someone who will be among that group soon enough. The 6’1” and 227-pound wide receiver can run and jump with just about any wide receiver in this year’s draft class. On Wednesday at Pitt’s pro day, Means got to show off a little more of his natural ability.
“I think that I’ve made a good impression on some of these scouts and coaches,” Means told reporters after his workout. “Right now I’m just still working, still grinding, getting my name out there and just building my draft stock as high as possible.”
His stock is certainly something that is growing by the hour. Means showed out very well at the NFL Combine a few weeks prior in Indianapolis. He posted a 40-yard dash time of a 4.43 seconds, recorded a 39 1/2 inch vertical, and logged 19 reps on the bench press.
Means felt comfortable with those numbers and opted not to participate in those events at the pro day, and for good reason. His combine performance got him noticed. He’s been mentioned a sleeper by some, and has even be a personal favorite of ESPN draft guru Mel Keiper Jr.
“Everything that I hear about me is a blessing,” Means said of his emerging draft stock. “It’s just a blessing to be in this position. I’m grateful for every opportunity I’ve had and just ready to go out there and show what I can do.”
For anyone who has seen Means up close and personal, none of this is really a surprise. He was built to perform well in the combine. Means immediately stood out on the practice field following his transfer to Pitt from Louisiana Tech. The combination of his physique and jaw-dropping athleticism caught the attention of the whole team instantly.
‘When Bub first walked in, I knew there was something about him,” former Pitt corner and NFL draft prospect MJ Devonshire said of Means. “He’s special and to be that big and moving that well, and running those types of routes, you don’t see that often.”
After squaring off against him in practice for two years, Devonshire is just glad the rest of the world is seeing his ability.
“If anybody didn’t believe it before today, it’s definitely real,” he said of Means’ ability. “I went against Bub every day, so just to see him progress and show it to the world was amazing.”
This offseason surge by Means has almost been necessary for him to boost his stock. It is no secret his 2023 season did not go as planned. It is fair to say Means suffered as much as anyone with Pitt having to shuffle through three starting quarterbacks this past season. Despite those setbacks, he still managed to produce 41 catches, for 721 yards, and six touchdowns in the 2023 season.
It was enough to earn him that combine invite, and he’s obviously taken it from there. Depending on what you consider Jordan Addison to be, Pitt has not had a wide receiver drafted since Tyler Boyd in 2016. Pitt head coach Narduzzi coached both Boyd and Means, and a lot of football players over the years for that matter. He said Means’ natural athletic ability ranks near the top among guys he has ever coached.
“I mean, you look at Tyler Boyd he was so smooth and athletic, but Bub, we call him a monster receiver,” Narduzzi explained. “There’s burners and monsters. I mean he’s a monster who is kind of a burner when you look at his speed at the pro day and at the combine. He ranks up there pretty high.”
Means’ personality should catch on at the next level as well. He’s unassuming. He is the guy that can eat a bag of chips and run a 4.4 all in one day and not think twice about it.
On Wednesday before performing in front of 31 NFL teams, a pressure packed situation for many, Means did not overhype any of it. No chips, however, but also not exactly a healthy alternative either.
“I ate a few gum balls, came out here, and got to it,” Means said.
Epps put it best talking about his teammate.
“I don’t know what he has. I wish I had that."