Inside The Panthers

Pitt's M.J. Devonshire Signs First Contract With Raiders

Former Pitt Panthers' cornerback M.J. Devonshire is now officially a Raider.

Stephen Thompson

Sep 23, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back M.J. Devonshire (12)
Sep 23, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back M.J. Devonshire (12) / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers cornerback M.J. Devonshire is now officially a Las Vegas Raider after signing his first NFL contract this week.

The Raiders announced that they had signed their seventh-round selection out of Pitt this week but did not disclose financial terms. His rookie deal will run for four years as it does with all NFL Draft picks.

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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