Three Pitt corners look to carry on legacy
There is a legacy that MJ Devonshire, Marquis Williams, and AJ Woods are all very aware of after playing their respective careers as cornerbacks in Pitt's defense. It is a legacy that is draped all over Pitt’s practice facility, and on Wednesday, there was living proof of it in the building as well.
Pitt sends defensive backs to the NFL.
There has been a Pitt defensive back selected in four straight NFL Drafts and five out of the last six years. During that stretch, a total of eight Pitt defensive backs have heard their names called over draft weekend. Some of those guys like Damar Hamlin, Dane Jackson, and Jason Pinnock were all present at Pitt’s Pro Day on Wednesday afternoon to see who may be the next player to follow in their footsteps.
“Pitt has had a rich history in putting DBs in the NFL and they stick,” Woods told reporters after his pro day workout. “Dane Jackson just got a contract extension with the (Carolina) Panthers. I played with all these guys and I try to emulate a lot of things that they’ve done because they were successful.”
Woods was not invited to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis a few weeks back, so Wednesday proved to be one of his bigger opportunities to impress pro scouts before the draft. He recalled how he and his dad would watch the combine for years when he was growing up, and while he was disappointed in not getting that invite, he decided to use that snub as motivation.
It was not an officially clocked time, but the speedy Woods turned some heads with his second 40-yard dash run on Wednesday, where he was reportedly in the low 4.3 range. He revealed his best time was a 4.27 while training in Florida.
“That was a hug motivating factor for me just to see all those guys compete,” Woods said of watching the combine earlier this year. “I’m a competitor before anything else and I was just going out to beat the best time at the combine.”
Woods played in 59 games over five years during his time at Pitt and made 14 starts. He was on the field quite a bit over the past two seasons and his college head coach, Pat Narduzzi, was one of his biggest advocates for him getting to the next level after his pro day performance.
“AJ Woods has a really good chance of getting drafted,” Narduzzi said. "I think people would be crazy not to draft that guy, especially with all the success we’ve had in our secondary.”
Like Woods, Marquis Williams also did not get a combine invite. Through the years, Williams has been a mainstay as one of Pitt’s starting cornerbacks despite being only being 5-foot-8. He registered 44 starts in his career, including all 14 games during Pitt's 2021 ACC Championship run.
Williams never let his stature hold him back in college, but rather used it as an edge, which was something he tried to take into Wednesday as well.
“I attacked the whole training process like that and I had to do that and put everything out here for pro day,” Williams explained. “I attack everything with a chip on my shoulder. I just got to keep it going. It doesn’t stop here. The next step, the NFL, so I always had a chip on my shoulder to keep going.”
Devonshire is the more recognizable of Pitt’s three draft hopefuls at cornerback. He was known for making big plays on the field throughout his Pitt career, and his size and speed made him an obvious candidate to get invited to the combine.
The Aliquippa native performed well in Indianapolis and did not carry as much pressure into the pro day. Devonshire opted not to participate in all the drills, and chose to stand on his vertical leap (38.5) and 40-yard dash (4.45) scores from the combine.
He still was able to use his pro day to get out and do some work in front of 31 NFL teams.
“Just that the athleticism is there,” Devonshire said on what he hoped to accomplish Wednesday. "I think a lot of people see it on the film and you get a chance to test it and see where a guy is.”
Devonshire did not see that combine snub for his two teammates as anything that should have held them back, and was proud to see how they showed out with their opportunity at the pro day.
“They’re battle-tested,” he explained. “They’ve been through a lot in their careers, just like me, and this was no different.The combine, it didn’t mean anything to them. They came out here and they balled today. They did everything they was supposed to do and more, so just being able to showcase."
"They got their opportunity and that’s all they ever really needed.”
All three players are aware that they will likely get an opportunity of some kind in the NFL, whether that is being drafted or as a free agent. They know the system they were brought up in at Pitt is a big reason for that.
The NFL has shown an interest in Pitt's defensive backs, largely because they are asked to play press man coverage with little help from over the top. It can cause for some big plays yielded against the Panthers, but it is something that has prepared former Pitt cornerbacks to thrive at the next level.
“I think the one thing that separates all of us is our mentality,” Devonshire said of Pitt’s philosophy of hanging their cornerbacks out on islands.
Added Woods, “We’re bred to be fast, physical corners that have no problem playing press man with whoever. So by the time when we get to the league, those skills translate.”
All three players got a chance to showcase themselves on Wednesday in a pro day setting, but perhaps the calling card for them will be the tape they produced after playing in a defense that was hard in the moment, but friendly towards a potential career in the NFL.