Pitt's Dennis, Baldonado, Kancey Take First Meetings at NFL Combine

Half of the Pitt Panthers contingent in Indianapolis has begun meeting with NFL teams.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Pitt Panthers are well-represented at the 2023 NFL Combine. Six former Panthers will spend the week at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, participating in interviews with teams from across the league and running drills on the field. 

The first half of the Panthers' contingent to visit the Combine began their process early in the week. Before defensive end Habakkuk Baldonado, defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and linebacker SirVocea Dennis take the field to showcase their athletic skills, they'll try to impress executives, scouts and coaches with their knowledge in team interviews. 

Baldonado was one of the stars of last month's East-West Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas. There, he worked closely with the New England Patriots' coaching staff.

“They were hands-on," Baldonado said. "If you made a mistake, they came up to you and told you. They helped you get better every day.”

Between the Shrine Bowl and early stages of the Combine, Baldonado claims he's met with "just about everyone" but has met with some teams multiple times. He named the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans as some of the teams who were particularly interested in him. Baldonado had informal interactions with the Pittsburgh Steelers and has met with the Houston Texans as well. 

Dennis has been in many meetings, too but declined to share who specifically he talked to, but was willing to talk about his experience at the Senior Bowl. He met with the Tampa Bay Buccanneers and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin  during his week in Mobile, Alabama. 

Kancey also opted not to name specific teams but did identify some of the teams he hadn't met with. The Giants, Steelers, Eagles, Texans and Cowboys have not met with the stud nose tackle.

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