Inside The Panthers

Pitt CB Holds Workouts for Three NFL Teams

Former Pitt Panthers cornerback M.J. Devonshire is gaining some momentum as the NFL Draft approaches.

Stephen Thompson

Nov 4, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back M.J. Devonshire (12)
Nov 4, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back M.J. Devonshire (12) / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers cornerback M.J. Devonshire is earning more and more buzz as the 2024 NFL Draft sits just days away.

According to a report from NFL insider Aaron Wilson of KRPC2 in Houston, Texas, Devonshire has completed three private workouts for NFL teams between his Pro Day at the end of March and the week of the draft. The Steelers, 49ers and New York Jets were the interested teams.

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. 

Devonshire impressed with his speed at the NFL Combine last March and his versatility as a defensive back and special teams playmaker will certainly have teams interested. In a new mock draft released by ESPN's Jordan Reid this week, Devonshire is projected to be a sixth-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings, where he would team up with fellow former Panthers Patick Jones, Brian O'Neill and Jordan Addison.

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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: