Pitt’s draft class tops out at five
Peterman, Johnson selected; Panthers tie 2011 unit for most picks since 2004
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Dorian Johnson is headed west, Nathan Peterman is shuffling off to Buffalo and Adam Bisnowaty is bound for the Big Apple. And Ejuan Price? Well, all he gets to do is reunite with one of the best defensive players in Pitt history.
The quartet of Pitt graduates all received that dreamcome-true call Saturday afternoon, with some dropping lower than expected but all eventually going on Day 3 of the NFL draft. Combined with James Conner’s selection by the Steelers in the third round late Friday, the five picks tie the 2011 year for Pitt’s deepest draft class since it had six taken in 2004.
Not bad for the second crop of Pitt products in Pat Narduzzi’s tenure.
“I just think the head coach there, they found a gem is what they did,” longtime NFL player personnel expert and NFL.com analyst Gil Brandt said this offseason. “I know all the scouts, when they go there, they’re very pleased with the treatment they get and they say he’s giving them some good players.”
Just about every Panthers player picked Saturday could go down as a “steal,” given that none went higher than most draft gurus projected.
First, Johnson reportedly saw his stock damaged by a medical concern, but he still ended up as one of the first players selected in the fourth round, while Peterman goes to a franchise that might be looking for its quarterback of the future.
Johnson, a 6-foot-5, 295pound offensive lineman, went 115th overall, the eighth pick in the fourth round, to the Arizona Cardinals. Peterman, meanwhile, was viewed by some experts as potentially a second-round pick, but had to wait until the 171st overall selection when the Bills grabbed him in Round 5 after seven other quarterbacks.
Bisnowaty, Johnson’s running mate on the left side of Pitt’s line, was scooped by the New York Giants, who traded up to get him with the 16th pick in the sixth round, 200th overall. Lastly, the productive pass-rushing Price was a seventh-round choice for the Los Angeles Rams, where fellow former Pitt and WPIAL star Aaron Donald already is entrenched as one of the league’s best defensive tackles. Many draft experts projected Johnson as a Day 2 pick, either in the second or third round, but Saturday morning, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock reported Johnson was falling because of a liver condition.
“Dorian was a huge part of our record-setting offense,” Narduzzi said. “He is a great player who was incredibly durable and dependable during his career. The Cardinals are getting a very mature person who won’t be outworked.”
As for the guy Johnson helped block for, Buffalo quarterback Tyrod Taylor has been hot and cold since becoming the starter there, so the Bills could want Peterman to compete for the No. 1 spot eventually.
“I’ve compared him to Trent Green, I’ve heard Kirk Cousins; he could be that type of quarterback in the NFL if his arm continues to get stronger,” ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper said Monday. “He’s got all the other attributes you need.”
Johnson is a former fivestar recruit out of Belle Vernon High School who started in all four of his seasons at Pitt. So, too, did Bisnowaty, who was a local standout himself at Fox Chapel High School, which hadn’t been able to boast an NFL draft pick since Leo Wisniewski went from Penn State to the Baltimore Colts in the second round in 1982.
But the picks for Pitt didn’t end there. The Rams snagged Price 234th overall with the 16th pick in Round 7, ensuring the two-time first-team All-ACC defensive end wouldn’t go undrafted. And, as a Woodland Hills graduate, he’ll have a shot to play alongside Penn Hills’ Donald.
Tight end Scott Orndoff, who was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine with the five draftees, was undrafted but has agreed to a free-agent deal with the hometown Steelers, per his agent, Greg Diulus. Defensive tackles Tyrique Jarrett and Shakir Soto are headed to the Denver Broncos, while cornerback Ryan Lewis likely will join Johnson with the Cardinals.
The Washington Redskins chose Gateway High School graduate Montae Nicholson, a defensive back out of Michigan State, with the 17th pick in the fourth round, 123rd overall. Not long after Price, Toledo defensive tackle Treyvon Hester (Penn Hills) went to the Oakland Raiders with the 244th selection.