Inside The Panthers

Former Pitt WR Creating Buzz With Saints

Former Pitt Panthers wide receiver Bub Means was rated by one writer as the New Orleans Saints sleeper pick ahead of the season.

Dominic Campbell

Sep 24, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Bub Means (15) returns an on-sides kick against Rhode Island Rams Rhode Island Rams defensive back Malik Gavek (40) during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh won 45-24. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 24, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Bub Means (15) returns an on-sides kick against Rhode Island Rams Rhode Island Rams defensive back Malik Gavek (40) during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh won 45-24. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers wide receiver Bub Means went in the Fifth Round to the New Orleans Saints in the 2024 NFL Draft and he has a great chance to excel as a rookie, according to one writer.

Doug Farrar of USA Today picked Means as his Sleeper Draft Pick for the Saints. He chose to not pay attention to his collegiate stats and instead, focused on his athleticism and his excitment to see him play in the NFL.

He discussed Means with Greg Cossell, an analyst at NFL Matchup, and what they liked about his game. Cossell is especially excited to see better signal callers sling some throws to him as a rookie, in this case, Saints quarterback Derek Carr

"He's gonna be better in the NFL because somebody can actually throw him the ball," Cossell said.

"He ran really well for a guy that's 6-foot-1, 212 [pounds]. Really big hands. Really big hands, which is really important for a receiver. I finished watching him and I just came away saying to myself, "That guy looks like an NFL wide receiver." He's got excellent size, he's got a powerful feel to his movement, he's got buildup speed to be a viable, vertical dimension. He ran a lot of in-breaking routes. He caught the ball in the middle of the field and I think that's always important.

"He's got a big body., he's got strong, yet, soft hands. That's essential. The more I watched him, the more I liked him.

"I just came away, like I said, some guys you watch and you just say to yourself, "That guy looks like an NFL player." This guy to me looks like an NFL player. "

"He was relentlessly excited about football," Farrar added.

"People want to keep in mind, he lined up predominantly on the outside in 2023, but in 2022, he was much more of a slot receiver, so he has extensive experience playing both," Cossell said. "So he gives you outside-inside versatility based on his college background."

Means started off at Tennessee as a defensive back, played four games to preserve a redshirt and transferred to Louisiana Tech. He transitioned to wide receiver while there and made 22 catches for 430 yards and two touchdowns in 2021.

He then transferred to Pitt and spent the past two seasons there, catching 68 passes for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns, the second-highest yardage total of any Pitt pass-catcher over that span.

While those numbers might not come as elite to many, he excelled inspite of some of the worst Pitt quarterback play in recent memory, which both Farrar and Cossello alluded to.

His performance at the NFL Combine gave scouts a chance to see his talents, running the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds and the 10-yard split in 1.55 seconds, as well as a 39.5 inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-2 broad jump. 

Means was the first Pitt wide receiver to earn an NFL Draft selection since star wide out Tyler Boyd did so with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2016.

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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