Inside The Panthers

Pitt DT Calijah Kancey Falls in Top-10 of Latest ESPN Mock Draft

Mel Kiper believes Pitt Panthers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey is headed east this spring.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt DT Calijah Kancey Falls in Top-10 of Latest ESPN Mock Draft
Pitt DT Calijah Kancey Falls in Top-10 of Latest ESPN Mock Draft /
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PITTSBURGH -- ESPN's Mel Kiper has former Pitt Panthers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey in the top-10 of his latest Mock Draft. He predicts Kancey will be selected at 10th overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2023 NFL Draft. 

Kiper believes that drafting the former Pitt star will give them some insurance against potential attrition along their defensive line that could come this offseason. Pairing him with imposing 2021 first-rounder Jordan Davis would make for a young and talented defensive front. 

"Kancey’s 2022 tape is extremely impressive, and I moved him way up my Big Board," Kiper wrote in his latest Mock Draft. "He wreaked havoc the past two seasons, racking up 13.5 sacks when lined up as a defensive tackle, the most in the country. At 6-foot, 280 pounds, he’s undersized, but so was former Pitt tackle Aaron Donald. (To be clear, he’s not Donald, but he’s still pretty good.) We know Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman invests heavily in the D-line, and Kancey would fit next to 2022 first-rounder Jordan Davis."

Kancey was a unanimous All-American and ACC Defensive Player of the Year this past season after recording 31 tackles, 14.5 for a loss and 7.5 sacks in 11 games this year. He suffered a shoulder injury that kept him out of the regular season finale and will sideline him for the Sun Bowl against No. 18 UCLA, but Kancey still led the country's interior defensive linemen in tackles for loss.

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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