Pitt 2023 Pro Day Notebook
The Pitt football program hosted its annual Pro Day at its Southside practice facility on Wednesday. There were 14 former Pitt Panthers who worked out in front of pro scouts with hopes of improving their draft stock in anticipation of the 2023 NFL Draft, which is set to begin on April 27th.
Here are some notes from Wednesday’s action at Pitt’s indoor practice facility.
-- Pitt saw 13 players from the 2022 team participate in Wednesday’s action. Not every player participated in every event, but they all took part in at least some of them while also having the chance to talk and meet with NFL scouts. The names of those Panthers who participated were: Israel Abanikanda, Deslin Alexandre, Habakkuk Baldonado, SirVocea Dennis, Owen Drexel, Erick Hallett II, Brandon Hill, Gabe Houy, Calijah Kancey, Marcus Minor, Carter Warren, Jared Wayne, and Tylar Wiltz.
-- In addition to the 13 members from the 2022 team, former Panther Johnny Petrishen returned to participate in the pro day a well. Petrishen was a key player for Pitt during its 2021 ACC Championship run and it still chasing his NFL dream.
Here are the heights and weights for every Pitt player at the weigh in:
Abanikanda 5’10” 217
Alexandre 6’3” 264
Baldonado 6’4’ 251
Dennis 6’0” 227
Drexel 6’2” 291
Hallett 5’9” 195
Hill 5’10” 194
Houy 6’6” 306
Kancey 6’1” 283
Minor 6’4” 310
Warren 6’5” 316
Wayne 6’2” 209
Wiltz 5’11” 218
Petrishen 6’0” 231
-- All 32 NFL teams were represented in some form or fashion at the Pro Day, along with four teams from the CFL. The hoopla around today did not match last year’s Pro Day, and in fairness Kenny Pickett brought out quite a crowd that included a national broadcast, some head coaches and general managers as well.
— That is not to say there wasn’t some buzz here today. Pitt has another potential first round pick this year in Calijah Kancey, and the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year is definitely a name that has the attention of most of the NFL right now. His 40-yard dash time of 4.67 at the NFL Combine was plenty good enough to stand on its own, and he chose not to run in that event today. Kancey did run the three-cone drill, which I unofficially had a 6.91. That time would have been enough to be the best at the combine. Kancey proved all year on the field he was an elite player and has done nothing in the offseason to change that.
— The bench press started Wednesday's activities, and that portion certainly got some hooting and hollering, which is per usual. The current members of the Pitt team all pour into the weight room to cheer on their former teammates. It’s loud, it’s hectic, and some reps get more attention than others. Marcus Minor stole the show here with a whopping 31 reps on the bench press. He was followed by Deslin Alexandre with 23, Drexel with 22. Wiltz and Houy both produced 19 each, while Erick Hallett posted 13.
Again, not every player participates in everything.
— After the bench press, the whole production moves across the parking lot and into the indoor facility. From there the players warm up and stretch and get ready for the 40-inch vertical. There were definitely some eye-popping numbers here, led by the 41.5” vertical from Jared Wayne, which would have topped the combine this year for receivers. SirVocea Dennis, who had a really strong day overall, matched that 41.5” jump. Izzy Abanikanda, who is basically built for a combine, posted a 41” vertical.
-- I do not exactly know why, but some of the drills were announced by Pitt as official times and figures, but that sort of stops halfway through. The 40-yard dash time is basically hand timed by every scout there, and there isn't a lot of talking during the running. It's a secret for some reason, so I just stood by someone from Pitt and also one NFL team and sort of looked over their shoulders at the times, so again, these aren’t exact figures.
— I think the most impressive running time here was Abanikanda. He ran somewhere in the 4.3s, which is moving for a 217-pound running back. His running caught a lot of attention, he may have gone from a mid-round draft pick to a second day guy. Abanikanda did not run at the combine, so this was his opportunity to showcase himself and he did not disappoint.
I mean seriously, he is built for the combine...
—SirVocea Dennis ran a 4.53 on his second attempt, which was noteworthy for a linebacker. Erick Hallett was right near a 4.4 flat, if not in the high 4.3s. Don’t forget, Brandon Hill was the fastest safety at the NFL combine after running a 4.43 in Indianapolis. Hill did not run today, but Pitt’s back line was exceptionally fast these past two seasons if you really think about it.
— The remainder of the drills featured a broad jump, short shuttle, and three-cone drill. Again, it was hit and miss participation in those events. I don’t want to beat around the bush here, but the pro day is not a very exciting event to cover or attend. It’s a lot of standing around and watching guys run in shorts and waiting for the next drill to start.
-- The very last thing were some individual drills, which is the closest thing to real football all day. The noteworthy thing here was that the quarterback used for this session was Nate Yarnell, Pitt's sophomore quarterback. He's the only quarterback left who has played with Wayne and Abanikanda, so that makes sense. It was certainly a cool opportunity for him as well.
— We are finishing up interviews with the guys now. I will have a few articles on some of Pitt’s most notable draft prospects spread out over the next couple of days.