Inside The Panthers

Where Pitt Players Land on ESPN Big Board

The Pitt Panthers have a couple of high-level NFL Draft prospects, according to ESPN.

Stephen Thompson

Nov 19, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers offensive lineman Matt Goncalves
Nov 19, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers offensive lineman Matt Goncalves / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers are sending a smaller class of players to the NFL Draft this year than they have in recent history but there are still a couple of players considered prime prospects and potentially high picks going into the weekend.

With the Draft just days away from beginning, ESPN's Mel Kiper released a final list of his top 150 prospects available this cycle and two Panthers - offensive tackle Matt Goncalves and wide receiver Bub Means - cracked the list. Goncalves is the higher-ranked of the two at no. 117 overall and Means followed closely behind at no. 125. If players were selected in order of their standing on the big board, that would make both mid-fourth round picks.

Goncalves was Pitt's lone representative on the Preseason All-ACC First-Team but made it just three games into his final season as a Panther before suffering a season-ending injury. He stuck with the team through the end of the season to help an offensive line unit riddled with injuries survive and improve during a difficult season.

Kiper also published a full ranking of every prospect at each position and the Panthers fared well in those assesments as well. Means is ranked as the No. 22 wide receiver in this class, tight end Malcolm Epps is No. 27 among his position, Goncalves is the No. 13 offensive tackle and M.J. Devonshire and A.J. Woods check in at 26th and 50th, respectively, on the cornerbacks list.

The Panthers' streak of two straight years with a first-round pick is all but certainly going to come to an end this year but they will still be well represented this week at the NFL Draft in Detroit.

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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: