Inside The Panthers

Pitt CB Named Impact Rookie for Raiders

Former Pitt Panthers cornerback M.J. Devonshire could be ready to contribute right away in the NFL.

Stephen Thompson

Oct 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back M.J. Devonshire (12)
Oct 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back M.J. Devonshire (12) / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panther cornerback M.J. Devonshire figures to face an uphill battle towards earning a spot on an NFL roster in his rookie season but ESPN's Field Yates believes he's in an optimal spot to contribute to his team right away after the Raiders took him in the seventh round of the 2024 Draft.

"The Raiders aren't afraid to challenge opposing wideouts at the line of scrimmage, making Devonshire a really good fit," Yates wrote of Devonshire in a list of rookie prospects ready to play right away. "From 2021-23, he played 464 snaps of press coverage, second most in the FBS during that time. He has a nose for the ball, too, as he had eight interceptions and three pick-sixes over three seasons at Pitt."

Devonshire was the third and final Panther taken in this year's draft and he joins a deep lineage of former Pitt defensive backs in the NFL. Pitt has been among the top five of college football teams at sending defensive backs to the NFL in recent history.

Devonshire, an Aliquippa native, one-upped his breakout 2022 campaign. He set career-highs in tackles for loss (0.5), interceptions (4) and passes defended (10). He ends his Pitt career with 83 tackles. 1.5 tackles for loss, eight interceptions. 

He won an ACC Championship, was named an All-ACC honorable mention at cornerback and second-team selection at punt returner in 2022 and capped his collegiate career with second-team all-conference honors as a cornerback. But no moment will ever stand out as boldly from Devonshire's career at as the 56-yard "Pitt Six" that was the deciding play in a win over West Virginia during the 2022 revival of the Backyard Brawl. 

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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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