Inside The Panthers

Pitt's MJ Devonshire Has Advantage Entering NFL

Pitt Panthers cornerback M.J. Devonshire will have a leg up on his fellow rookies because of his college system.

Stephen Thompson

Pittsburgh Panthers M.J. Devonshire pumps up the crowd during the second half against the Cincinnati
Pittsburgh Panthers M.J. Devonshire pumps up the crowd during the second half against the Cincinnati / Michael Longo/For USA Today Network /

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers cornerback M.J. Devonshire was picked late in the 2024 NFL Draft, waiting until the final round on the final day to hear his name called and know he would soon be a Las Vegas Raider.

But even as a late-round pick, Devonshire's head coach from Pitt, Pat Narduzzi, believes that he will have a leg up on his fellow rookies when he arrives in the NFL because of the system he played in for the Panthers, which featured plenty of press man coverage.

"One thing about the University of Pittsburgh, if you come here, is our corners are going to press every down, Narduzzi told Hondo Carpenter on a recent episode of the Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast. "We're going to be pressed, we may bail one out of 10 times, but we're going to pressed up there, we're going to be in your face. One thing I can tell you about M.J - we know he can run already, and that's the No. 1 priority for a guy that can press because you're always going to get beat at the line of scrimmage, but can you make up the speed and get back in fades on the guy. But he can press and get his hands on you."

Narduzzi believes he's put Devonshire through the fire while at Pitt and it's created a fearless player as a result. Devonshire's job was especially hard at Pitt - press coverage with little to no safety help coming over the top - and that will make him ready for the rigors of professional football right away, according to Narduzzi.

"The most important, I guess, ingredient that M.J.'s going to have, like all of our corners that go to the National Football League ... the one thing that M.J.'s going to bring to the Raiders and that defense is that he's not going to be afraid," Narduzzi said. "They're going to bring some corners in that play half the time, play off-coverage, playing soft, and playing Cover 3, whatever it may be -- this guy is used to it. When they come into camp and they say, 'Hey, you're pressing out there,' he's going to be like, 'OK, that's good. I can do that all day, that's my job.'"

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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: