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Pay close enough attention to the NFL Draft over the years, and it won’t take long to pick up on some tendencies. Programs such as Georgia, Alabama, Michigan and Texas are sending players to the NFL in droves. Some schools have a proven track record of producing pro caliber players at specific positions year over year, like Ohio State (wide receivers), LSU (defensive backs), Iowa (tight ends) or Penn State (linebackers). But some schools manage to consistently churn out NFL talent without having that sort of favorable reputation. The Pittsburgh Panthers are one of those programs.
In a recent study conducted by Manny Navarro of The Athletic, it was determined that among all schools situated on the outside of the top 40 in average recruiting class rankings over the last five years, the Pitt Panthers have the best track record of sending players to the NFL.
“What’s far more impressive from a development standpoint are the Power 4 programs that ranked outside of the top 40 in recruiting rankings yet produced NFL talent at a top-40 level,” Navarro writes. “The Pitt Panthers top the list among those schools with 20 draft picks over the last five years, including two first-rounders — second most in the ACC behind Clemson (22). Of those 20 picks, only three were transfers, and among the 17 homegrown talents, only one was a blue-chip recruit coming out of high school (safety Damar Hamlin).”
This past April, Pitt sent three more players – Branson Taylor, Gavin Bartholomew, and Konata Mumpfield – to the NFL via the Draft, and had another three – Ben Sauls, Donovan McMillon and Brandon George – sign with teams as undrafted free agents.
In total, Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi has had 31 players selected in the NFL Draft during his 10-year tenure as Pitt’s head coach. In that time, he’s led the Panthers to seven bowl appearances, and currently ranks second among all Pitt coaches with 72 career wins.
But this isn’t just a phenomenon that coincides with Narduzzi’s tenure. 303 players who have worn a Pittsburgh Panthers uniform have been selected in the entire history of the NFL Draft. That’s the second-most among all current ACC schools, and includes current or future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees such as Tony Dorsett, Dan Marino, Larry Fitzgerald, Darrelle Revis and Aaron Donald.
When the NFL Draft comes to Pittsburgh next April, it’s reasonable to believe that the Panthers will be represented in the class of 2026, with Kyle Louis (linebacker), Desmond Reid (running back), Rasheem Biles (linebacker), and Elliot Donald (defensive tackle/Aaron Donald’s nephew) likely leading the charge.
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