Inside The Panthers

Watch: Pitt's Bub Means Gets Saints Draft Call

The Pitt Panthers wideout reacts to his NFL dream coming true.

Dominic Campbell

Oct 28, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Bub Means (0) catches a
Oct 28, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Bub Means (0) catches a / Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers wide receiver Bub Means realized his childhood dreams when the New Orleans Saints took him with the No. 170 pick in the Fifth Round of the NFL Draft.

Saints assistant general manager and college scouting director Jeff Ireland called Means to let him know the good news and that the organization was ecstatic to bring him on and to secure his services for the future.

"I spent a lot of time studying you and I like it," Ireland said. "A lot of people in our draft room like it."

Ireland then spoke to Means about hiring someone from Louisiana Tech, where Means spent time playing at in college. Means knew the person, who is Ziad Qubti, a member a college scouting coordinator for the Saints, making for a great conversation between him and Ireland.

New Orleans head coach Dennis Allen then spoke to Means, congratulating him on joining the team, having a laugh with him and hoping to see his talents in the near future.

"That was really the final test to see whether or not we we're going to turn your name in to draft you or not, is whether you knew who [Zaid] was," Allen said. "So you passed the test. We're excited about it. We're going to turn your name in here and you're fixing to be a New Orleans Saint. Listen, congratulations. We'll get you here in a couple weeks. We'll have a rookie minicamp and get going man. So just get yourself ready to come in and start grinding."

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. 

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 is 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.

He is also the first Pitt player that the Saints drafted since defensive end Greg Romeus in 2011. He is the fifth Pitt player that the Saints drafted all-time, joining center Bob Kuziel in 1972, defensive end Jim Buckman in 1974, Hall of Fame linebacker Rickey Jackson and defensive tackle Jerry Boyarsky in 1981, as well as running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward in 1988.

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

Follow Dominic Campbell on Twitter.