From practice rivals to pro competitors
Devonshire, Means showcase their skills in Indy
INDIANAPOLIS— Iron sharpens iron, and that might be a factor for Pat Narduzzi’s Pitt team to get more skill players selected in this year’s NFL draft.
Three of Pitt’s players got invites to the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. Cornerback M. J. Devonshire, receiver Bub Means and offensive tackle Matt Goncalves all were selected to compete. Devonshire got to speak to media during his Thursday session, while Means spoke from his podium Friday, hours before Devonshire would run for his on-field drills.
While Goncalves talked on Saturday, he doesn’t share the same bond as Devonshire and Means that was sparked from being practice rivals during the past two seasons. Plenty of similarities can be seen between the two players and their careers at Pitt.
Both are transfers who came to Pitt with prior experience in the Southeastern Conference, as the 5-foot-10, 186-pound Devonshire transferred to Pitt from Kentucky in 2021 and the 6-foot-1, 222pound Means transferred to Pitt from Louisiana Tech in 2022 but had also played at Tennessee in 2019. Both also became the best players at their positions for the Panthers, and that led to them getting matched up regularly in practice.
If you ask either of them, they’ll tell you the other player played a big part in their overcoming adversity on the field.
“I learned how to be patient,” Devonshire said during his press availability. “Being squared and getting hands on [your man] at the line of scrimmage. Trust that you have speed and there aren’t a lot of guys who can run by you. Working with Bub in practice, I learned that. He’s one of those guys that will run by you, and there aren’t many guys like him. So being able to trust your technique, slide your feet, get your hands on guys and run with them, that’s the big thing.”
“We competed,” Means said of Devonshire. “That’s my dog. He’s a great corner and he’s going to make a team really good. In our defense, it’s press man, every day. They’re in your face. So, for me, going against who I say is the best corner in the draft every day, we competed. Every trick he did, I had to beat. Every trick I had, he had to beat. All we did was compete as the best on the best.
“In practice, refs don’t call much [pass interference],” Means continued. “So [Devonshire] can hold, grab and tug. I had to play through that, but that made me a better receiver. In a game, they might call it, but I learned to play through all of that.”
Devonshire became the first Pitt player since NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Darrelle Revis to record an interception returned for a touchdown and a punt return touchdown in the same season for the Panthers in 2022. He made second team All-Atlantic Coast Conference as a punt returner in 2022, then second team AllACC as a cornerback in 2023. After playing as a reserve cornerback during Pitt’s 2021 ACC championship run, he tasked himself to improve several facets of his game.
“It took a learning experience,” Devonshire said. “In 2021, in the Peach Bowl, I considered myself embarrassed. From that experience, I learned you have to win in all phases. You can’t take a play off. I felt like I was better than what I put on film that day. I told myself, from that day on, you have to win in all phases — from the coverage to the line to the second half and the deep half.”
“There was a rep in the third quarter against West Virginia,” Devonshire said about which moment he thinks showed his improvement best. “It was a slant. It wasn’t a target, but I jammed a receiver with one hand and he didn’t get off the line. That’s one of my best reps. Another one was against Louisville this past season. I didn’t get targeted, but it was on second down. My footwork was perfect. I got my hands on [my man], then I was able to flip and find the ball. Coach Collins would that a ‘clinic-quality’ or ‘CQ’ rep.”
Means doesn’t have the same accolades as Devonshire, but he did earn an honorable mention All-ACC as a wide receiver in 2023 while he racked up 721 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns in an offense that finished last in the conference in scoring, total yards and several other major
categories.
“I’ve moved my game,” Means said. “My first year with Pitt, I was primarily a slot receiver. But this year, I mostly played outside and backside receiver to get oneon-ones. I improved my versatility as a receiver.”
Both players also have leaned upon NFL Hall of Famers for advice. Devonshire, being from Aliquippa, has long had Hall of Fame cornerbacks who were also from his hometown in Ty Law and Revis in his corner.
“I talked to Ty and Darrelle,” Devonshire said. “I asked, ‘ What influenced your decisions [to enter the draft]?’ And they replied, ‘If you’re ready, you’ll know.’ They didn’t tell me what they felt to know they were ready. They came out when they felt like it was their time, and now I think it’s my time.
“Through this process, they’ve told me to be myself,” Devonshire continued about Law and Revis. “It’s the same things they’ve told me during my entire journey. I need to go in with a clear mind and focus on what I need to do to be successful. They often tell me to focus on being the next me. But it’s hard. I tell people a lot of times that a lot of my goals are oriented around things they did.”
Meanwhile, Means also has been mentored by a former NFL Hall of Fame player. While he doesn’t get to pull football legends from his hometown in Lovejoy, Ga., he’s had the opportunity to get close.
“When I got here, we have a mentor, Cris Carter,” Means said, referencing the member of the Hall of Fame All-1990s team. “That was great. I’ve been asking him a lot of questions, and he’s been helping me get through this. I appreciate all the help I’ve received.”
And while they focus on proving their own resumes at the combine, both players wanted to point out other Panthers that NFL teams should watch out for. For Devonshire, he mentioned two fellow seniors who also declared for the NFL draft in cornerbacks Marquis Williams and A.J. Woods. Neither received an invite to the combine, and Devonshire expressed why he thought that was a misstep by the league.
“Two very intelligent players,” Devonshire said. “They’re two hard workers who come in and show up every day to give their all. A.J. is one of the most intelligent — if not the most intelligent — corner in our room. We compete physically and mentally. When we watch film, it’s like a race to see who answers first or who can find the right thing in their notebook from two years ago that we need. I can’t wait for our pro day so they can showcase what they can do.”
For Means, he wanted to let people know about the receivers still on Pitt’s roster and his faith that they’d be a dangerous group in the ACC in 2024.
“Konata Mumpfield, Daejon Reynolds and y’all know about Kenny Johnson,” Means said. “Watch out for their offense. They’re going to be elite. [Mumpfield] is the best route runner I’ve ever seen. I’ve known him since we were training in Atlanta. I’ve been watching him run routes since high school. Watch what he does next year when he gets that opportunity to showcase it.”
But now, both players look to impress NFL coaches with their skills and athleticism in the drills, as well as their knowledge of the game during meetings. Devonshire said he’s met with too many NFL teams to be able to think of them all at the podium but did mention he’d had informal meetings with at least the Steelers, Texans, Buccaneers and Bills.
“They talked about a lot of the things we did,” Devonshire said. “They all know that we were a press man team. But being versatile is a good thing. Showcasing that to them at the East-West game was a good thing.”
Means also couldn’t remember all the teams he’d spoken with but was most talkative about his experience with the Bills.
“[A coach] had me looking at plays,” Means said. “He looked at some formations, then he talked them up to me. Then we chatted, and afterwards, he told me to draw the formations he mentioned. It surprised me a little bit, but it was easy. I can remember stuff like that.”
Devonshire ran his field drills Friday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium, where he ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash. That was good enough to rank 13th among cornerbacks in the drill and is in the upper half of the almost 30 different cornerbacks who ran the event Thursday.