Tomorrow is the 2018 NFL Draft.  Here is some draft order and team needs info.  Here are the prospective Pitt draftees…which round do you think they will go it?

I’ll start even though I have no idea what will happen or do I care all that much past seeing Pitt guys in the first two rounds. Maybe more draftees helps recruiting but I don’t see a real correlation (Hint: perfect subject for a reader to write an article about!).  Here goes:

OL Brian O’Neill – Late 2nd Round

DB Jordan Whitehead – 3rd Round

WR Quadree Henderson – 4th Round

WR Jester Weah – 5th Round

DB Avonte Maddox – 5th Round

P Ryan Winslow – 7th Round

OL Alex Officer – Undrafted

QB Max Browne – Undrafted

OL Jaryd Jones-Smith – Undrafted

Contact: Gus Mustakas (!!!) So that’s what he’s doing now.  Gus has the hippest mother ever…

TE Matt Flanagan – Undrafted

OL Brandon Hodges – Undrafted

Folks – I’ll be in North Carolina from this morning until Friday afternoon.  So I’ll not draft articles up in that period but will for this coming weekend.

Send me some article ideas for over the summer…or of course send me your own articles and I’ll publish those… Seriously don’t you want your words to be read by hundreds of thousands of readers in 102 countries?

Michaelangelo holds a degree in Travel Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. He was a former staff writer for InPittsburgh Newsweekly, and currently resides near Atlanta, Georgia. He has been a Pitt fan since 1997 after he witnessed Pitt upset #22 Miami on Thursday night at Pitt Stadium.

120 thoughts on “POV’ers Panther’s NFL Draft Predictions & Draft Thread”

  1. I certainly don’t think it hurts to have a lot of draftees but not sure if there is a correlation. Further, there has been too much coaching turnover for a valid correlation IMO. I do think that Wanny’s experience in the NFL did help his recruiting somewhat.

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  3. O’Neill I agree with but Whitehead 4th – 5th round at best, Henderson – 7th round or undrafted, Weah – 6th round, and Maddox 6 – 7 round.

    Those are my guesses hope I am wrong and some of those guys get drafted earlier but the only one I agree with is O’Neill, there is alot of draft eligible players and teams won’t want to draft guys like Whitehead and Henderson until later rounds.

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  4. I must have read one hundred times (ok exaggeration) on the POV that Maddox would never get drafted in the NFL. I’ll say he goes in the 4th or 5th rd.

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  5. Drafted is only the first step. I predict Maddox will make the NFL team that selects him. His speed and I think his ability to play special teams will help him.

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  8. I would bet that Weah goes before Henderson. Special teams is not as important as the offense. Although I think Weah could shine as a gunner on Special Teams before getting a starting or backup role on offense based on his size & speed.

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    1. agree. O’Neill (2nd or 3rd), Whitehead (3rd or 4th), Weah and Maddox (4th – 6th), Henderson (5th – 7th)

      Winslow will not be drafted

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  9. Ok, here goes….
    Oneill- 3rd Round
    Whitehead- 4th round
    Weah, Maddox, JJ-Smith- 5th round
    Winslow, Officer-6th round
    Henderson-7th round
    Anybody else undrafted.

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  10. So eight get drafted and we won only five games with all that pro talent. Our coaching stinks.

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    1. but on the other hand … with the same staff, Pitt won 8 games in 2015 but only had 1 player drafted (Boyd)

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    2. Or, lack of talent at the most important position sabotaged the season.

      Course the QB decisions were made by the coaches…

      Go Pitt.

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    3. Could have been more reflective of the schedule. Back to back games of Top 10 teams (Pedo State & Okie State ). And then you have to transition the next week from the high flying passing circus of Okie State….to the Rushing Triple Option of Georgia Tech. We also caught NC State in their only 2nd 9 win season and best record in 15 years.

      Although there was no excuse to lose to the woeful Tarholes last year at Ketchup Bottle. That loss kept us out of another crappy Bowl Movement. Although I guess General Pickett could have used the game experience.

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  12. I only see O’Neill and Maddox,sticking around on a NFL roster out of this group. Those 2 guys were focused and disciplined on building careers at PITT to prepare them for the NFL. Avduring his Panther career.onte was far above Lafayette Pitts in terms of ability and LP made a roster in spite of my negative opinion of his ability. I enjoyed watching Maddox during his Panther days.

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    1. Whitehead will surprise you. And by a lot. Not referring to his draft round but his NFL career. This kid was seriously coached down.

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  13. On a college football team, unlike in bball, you can have some superstars and still not have success. This becomes evident when you also have major flaws with important units.
    Without a good oline, your qbs, wrs, and even rbs can and will still struggle to excel.
    You could have 2 Fitzgerald’s and a bad qb and run game, and the team will still struggle mightly.

    I’m not implying that we had any superstars this past year, just that without the whole team package playing well, being coached well, individual nfl caliber players can be much harder to identify.

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  14. Maddox will go well before Whitehead. Whitehead has dropped significantly where as Maddox is now considered at top 100 player.

    Btw, Heather is flipping the Pete so the student section is on TV. About time!!!!

    Anyone still calling for Heather’s head? She’s had a hell of a last month. Wrestling coach was rookie coach of the year. Baseball team is closing in on most conference wins ever. Oh yeah, Capel and the women’s coach. Fixing the Pete … Creating a Pitt Hall of Fame.

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    3. I agree about Maddox. He has the makings of a pretty good slot corner.

      Women’s softball leading the Coastal and assured of finishing above .500 in the ACC for the first time.

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  15. ESPN: “PROSPECT PROFILE: AVONTE MADDOX
    Former Pittsburgh CB Avonte Maddox has tremendous speed and the ability to cover despite a small frame.”

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  17. Common sense stuff. She is listening. Many fans have been saying these things for years. And baseball still needs a new coach.

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    1. Given the success of the baseball coach in the ACC this year it would be tough to get rid of him.

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  18. I still think Whitehead has the physical talent to make it if he applied himself to the task at hand. Remember he lead the team in tackles as a freshman.

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  19. We should do a mock on Robert Foster too.
    I did a Google on “Robert Foster” and the second line said “Robert Foster obituary” so,….

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  20. That would be impressive if all those guys got drafted where they are projected. I am fairly certain whitehead is the only one that was an elite prospect out of high school. The rest were developed fairly well and were NFL long shots before they came to pitt.

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  21. Heather did what any decent AD would have done. Unless she was hired specifically to fire a particular head coach I feel she did what a good manager should have done and that is to evaluate, evaluate, evaluate. Create a plan and begin to move forward in a precise manner with a planned vision. I give her a passing grade . . .ike

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  22. My guess is 5 of the 6 guys Reed has being drafted will.
    So, a total of 5 drafted Pitt players this draft.

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  23. I think ONeill and Maddox are the only guaranteed draftees. Probably Whitehead at some point. I don’t think the other guys get drafted….possibly Weah in rd 6 or 7. So I’ll say 3 with a max of 4.

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      1. he did go in the first round to KC. Got decked the first time he went into their lockerroom. Million dollar talent / 10 cent head

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    1. don’t understand why anyone watches the draft. During every commercial of the hockey game, you can turn on ESPN, read the crawl at the bottom and get all caught up.

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      1. agree, one of the biggest productions on tv about essentially nothing. Along the lines of the oscars and emmy’s garbage

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  25. I seem to remember that Cornhole always had a big plan for the Pitt facilities. He was going to upgrade everything, except the wins and losses. Then he stabs FB in the back with the Heinz move. I said long ago that Whitehead is character challenged, and the NFL sees that. I will be surprised if they want to invest real money in him. I predict he will sign somewhere as a free agent.

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    1. Cornhole and Nerdy & Company did have a big plan for Pitt facilities. The morons bulldozed Pitt Stadium, home of the 9 time National Football Champions.

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  26. Tough call on Whitehead. I think he has day 2 talent and there are teams that take chances on this type of young man. I think he could go in the top four rds? Maddox joins the long line of the much maligned DB’s from PITT who go on to play in the NFL.

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  27. Whitehead has the talent but maybe not the size or head. He ran a 4.57 at his pro-day but most of us who watched him play the last few years know he’s faster than that … most likely still hampered by the hammy. Whitehead’s issue is the mistakes he made in college (play action) that he could recover from are not recoverable in the NFL. He’s small for a safety and his strength is tackling. He’s the dreaded tweener.

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    2. Everything you wrote I agree with but despite those truths I believe he will start in the NFL and have a fine career.

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  29. O’Neill will get drafted, probably 2nd round. That’s it for sure.

    Maybe Whitehead, maybe Maddox. QH should have stayed another year, then maybe.

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  30. Going to a meeting this morning in San Diego.
    Stopped at train crossing and the middle car of the commuter train is painted PSU blue and white.
    Goes past and says PSU on it. The whole car in San Diego.
    We don’t even have a jitney in the hill painted for Pitt.

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  32. Keep in mind Pitt with a crap D had those players make or almost make the final 53 or practice squad. Galombos, Lewis, Soto and Jarrett are the names, Pitt had them, Plus Peterman, Biz, DJ, Orrndoff, Connor, Ford, as well. so in the last two years adding Maddox, Whitehead, O’Neill, Henderson. Weah, with FA JJS, Officer Hodges, Browne as well. That is potentially 19 players who will get drafted or at least see a NFL camp. QB killed the team last year along with injuries to the OL. That is not bad for a program that has 23 wins and 17 losses in 3 years.

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  34. O’Neil and Whitehead the only ones drafted.
    Maddox is too frail and Henderson is a one-trick pony.

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  35. Two things I do know is that the draft depends on team needs and that just because you end up on an NFL roster doesn’t mean you were all that great in college.

    BTW in Wilmington, NC now.

    Had to pull over twice because of huge rainstorms…as bad as hurricanes and typhoons we’ve been through.

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    1. very true but Pitt could use it to help sell the program to recruits
      glad you made it safely
      twisters are what i worry about down here along with softball size hail

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  36. In my mind, Maddox is just the opposite of Whitehead. The early years were rather unimpressive, he was obviously small and his cover skills were weak. But this man has heart, and he developed into a pretty good DB by the end of his career. So if I’m drafting in the NFL and am looking for some depth at DB plus a return man, I’ve got to look hard at Maddox.

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    1. Size and durabilty kill Maddox. Has Heart but that isn’t ranked over size and length when you face 6’3 WR’s all year.

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  37. I’m with Reed that it’s not a big deal to me what our players do once they move on – though I wish them well.

    All of our draftable guys have flaws, IMHO — my guess is that O’Neill and Maddox are the only players to get drafted…

    Hail to Pitt.

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  38. It’s not only a team needs that matter but what type of an offense is being copied at the time a player becomes available. Slot receivers seem to be coming back into popularity after a few years of the big receivers era. Seems to me a CB like Maddox could benefit from this transformation. Maddox is a good tackler and may be the perfect fit for someone looking for a slot cover back or nickel/dime back… ike

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  39. Maddox has potential to be the first Pitt guy taken. It’s still most likely O’Neill but Maddox is on almost every top 100 list you look at now. He had a great combine and has been shooting up draft boards.

    @Reed – Yes, the suspensions probably don’t help but it also depends what they were for. I’m sure that information has been passed along to the league. Some teams are more risk takers than others.

    i’m guessing O’Neill and Maddox in the 3rd. Whitehead in the 6th. Weah in the 7th. Henderson undrafted.

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  40. Ike @4:30,
    I’m going to assume my good friend that Latrobe is not a busy place as you stated that Maddox will join a long line of Ptt DBs in the NFL! What is considered a long line in Latrobe? :>)

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  41. Good article in the WSJ today (pg A12) about the continuing shortage of WRs that can easily transition from college to the NFL. No WRs are locks for the 1st round this year, and teams like New England are content to let someone else teach them how to run routes and then trade or sign them as free agents. ike has hit on something here (once again) that teams seem to be grooming more possession receivers (out of necessity), and someone like Maddox might fit perfectly into a slot type or 5th DB position to cover the underneath routes.

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  42. lol Jim, don’t know about long lines in Latrobe as it seems I only sleep here anymore. I guess I could be living on Mars as long as it gets WiFi and PITT football games on my TV. Smoking some country style bns ribs Saturday while blasting my favorite music getting away from it all. I’m just a simple man.

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  43. I think Foster goes before Henderson.

    You all have it right i think with oneill in the 3rd, maddox and his 4.3 forty in the 4th round and whitehead in the 5th. The sleeper is JJ Burger Smith. Saw something about the Raiders and him. Weah late.

    NCAA committee on bball released their report on bball cheating. I think the guidance was pretty weak. I think nothing much changes except agents/handlers get involved even earlier with high school kids. Not impressed as they really tried to protect and preserve the organization of the NCAA versus getting the right result. The report was 53 pages and I haven’t finished reading it, but the beginnings are backwards in my opinion. They are trying to use threats to police which is no different then they have been doing for years.

    One telling comment was that around 60 some percent of kids that signed with a P5 school out of high school believed they were going to the NBA. The reality is the percentage is very low and somehow the kids actually believe they are going to make it.

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    1. agree … once again the elite schools run the NCAA and they refuse to police themselves. Instead, they think that if the nBA would start drafting out of high school again, it would solve all the problems. It may help but much more is needed

      wwb

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  44. to follow up on above http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/13578584-74/heather-lykes-concerns-about-corruption-in-college-basketball-revealed-during-pitts-coaching

    Lyke said, “No one really understands how widespread it is. One of the things I read that Condoleezza wrote that makes you pause is everybody knows this goes on and yet it still goes on. That’s really concerning.

    “I don’t know if the penalties can be harsh enough. If people intentionally violate rules and orchestrate ways of doing it, there should be significant penalties if they can really prove that.”

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    1. The NCAA will not kill their cash cow, the NCAA BB Tournament. They’ll sweep this under the rug, just like the NFL did with NE cheating.

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          1. I’ll take your word for it then. I guess you know how much I want PITT to win 5 of the last 9 games.

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  46. obviously, like spring games, mock drafts are to be taken with a grain of salt. But I look at them solely to see where Pitt players are listed.

    CBS Sports had all 7 rounds … and listed O’Neill as 3rd round; Whitehead, Jones-Smith, and Maddox as 5th; and Weah as 6th. If Henderson was listed, I missed him

    ESPN did not have a Pitt in its 1st round, and NFL.com listed Top 100 Prospects and O’Neill ranked 74

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  47. You can’t fault guys for leaving because of the threat of injury, but you have to wonder how much O’Neill, Whitehead and Henderson could have helped their draft status by staying.Although rumors are that some left because of the “incident” following the Miami game. They certainly would have helped Pitt’s prospects, especially O’Neill.

    Whitehead may have benefited greatly from the coaching changes.

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  49. The fact that so many kids have NFL aspirations tells me that there is a correlation with recruiting.

    Certainly Wanny took advantage of this.

    Sharing facilities with the Steelers is still mentioned by players that do commit as a reason they did.

    I am sure AD is mentioned during the recruiting process as are all of our NFL HOF’s.

    You have to use what you got to overcome what you don’t.

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    1. GC….you were right on w your comments on my shoulder surgery. They didn’t do much to my rotator cuff but the cleaning out of the joint and stitching of torn biceps has been brutal. Recovery is very slow, Rehab is brutal. Golf not even close on the horizon. Thanks for the heads up.

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      1. Dan72 – best wishes for a good recovery.

        Work at the rehab, but have patience…

        I’ve had open-heart surgery – a barbaric operation – took me a few years before my shoulders didn’t ache at night.

        Go Pitt.

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  51. Maybe I am the eternal Pitt pessimist,but I only see Brian O’Neill getting drafted from our crew….that’s it. Whitehead isn’t even on the NFL network’s best at a position list. He could make a roster as a free agent.

    Wish the best for all of our guys tonight.

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  52. I can’t really say I care that much (just a tiny bit) about Pitt players’ draft projections, but the fact that Maddox is in the position he is, is remarkable to me. Just 2 seasons ago Pitt’s pass defense was record-setting-atrocious, and Maddox’s role in that embarrassment was front-and-center, so the turnaround in the overall pass defense last year, and in particular Maddox’s performance is a great story. Maddox is a high character guy too, I wish him and all the Pitt men the best!

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    1. FWIW, Maddox led the team in interceptions the last 3 years and in sacks this past season … all this while missing 7 games over the past 2 seasons. Of course, this can be ‘damning with faint praise’ .. but he is a high-character guy who did very well at the Combine as well as at the Senior Bowl practices. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he were drafted

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  54. O’Neil second round, Whitehead fourth round and Maddox fifth round. The rest are probably free agents.

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    1. Keep in mind that the draft changed to only 7 rounds in mid 90’s (94 I think). It was 12 or even 17 before that so anyone listed 8 rounds or higher would not have been drafted today. That said it is jarring to see no picks 1997-1999

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    2. By the way check out the draft in 1992, that was after my freshman year and that team was loaded and the names drafted 93-95 were on that team too. Paul Hackett is rarely mentioned but he was a colossal failure that directly led to the 90’s wastleland of football futility that we are still trying to recover from.

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  56. Now that Pitt is planning to upgrade its facilities for many of its athletic teams, there is only one major facility left to build.

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  58. The POV has one, an open air outdoor river-view swanky joint called “Frans Tailgate” Where everybody knows your name.

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  59. The changes Lyke announced yesterday are huge for Pitt athletics.

    To make the top of the Pitt campus an entire connected athletic complex, with a true indoor track, a multi purpose 3000 seat arena for gymnastics, wrestling, volleyball, etc and add world class training and sports medicine facilities. Are you kidding me?

    It will finally put Pitt sports up with the other ACC schools. The fact that the Field House is still standing tells you how far behind Pitt is in athletics in general. It has been a crap hole for 40+ years.

    This is what I was talking about. Show people you have a plan, get them excited.

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    1. Baseball Stadium is bad. It can’t even host a regional and has no identity. It was built cheap.

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      1. It is better than it was, LOL. I agree, but the other facilities are beyond bad so they have to come first.

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  61. Pitt mentioned an opportunity to expand the project plans even more if they can partner with shops, restaurants, housing, etc. They have to make that part happen.

    How cool would it be to stop down and take in a basketball game, baseball games, soccer or anything, and be able hang out at a restaurant, check out some shops, right there in the middle of the Pitt athletic complex?
    Make it a destination.

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  62. Over this past basketball season I read much talk about how PITT may be a candidate to be KICKED out of the ACC. I preached patience with Heather. PITT is putting millions of dollars into the new ACC network that surely would seem to be a lock for any team doing the same thing to be tied into a long unbreakable contract with the ACC on all fronts. Personally, I think Heather deserves a much needed vacation, how bout you guys? ike

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    1. ike – take a look at where Pitt stands in facilities and the Directors Cup standings. We rank near the very bottom. For a conference that prides itself in sports excellence and commitment, I am damn sure Pitt leaders got a dress down by the ACC brass. Our facilities besides our rental football stadium and the Pete are embarrassing. Pitt has not won a national championship in any sport since 1976. Many of our sports programs havent sniffed the playoffs for decades when practically every other ACC school has recent histories of winning. Did you know our baseball team hasnt gone to the playoffs since the mid 90’s. Over 25 years ago. The second longest wait of an ACC team is 4 years.

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  63. Ike, the “kicked out” comment was sheer foolishness, nobody with any credibility suggested that as a possibility, but that said, boy has the momentum sure shifted fast! In all honesty, leaders need to earn their trust, but Heather Lyke seems to be doing that based on her actions, she seems to be a good one.

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  64. You mean Heather is doing her job? Funny expectations after the last 2 douches Pitt hired in Pederson and Barnes.

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    1. That’s all I’m saying Upitt, never said she was great, never said she has gone over and beyond the call of duty. I stood on my soap box asking you all to give her a chance without the ridiculing of the unknown. Like I said. I give her a passing grade.

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      1. I definitely agree Ike. Better than last 2. I do think because money wasn’t being spent Heather has lobbied andwas succesful in getting Pitt to spend money.

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    3. Heather has such a low bar given the past 2 idiots. She looks like a genius for making common sense decisions.

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  65. Sure talk of being being kicked out of the ACC was shear foolishness but I read and I think you may have read not only on the POV but the Lair and other media outlets the exact preposterous comments. .

    If Avonte Maddox was 2 inches taller no one would know his name at PITT if they didn’t follow the All American lists. He would have been playing college football at Michigan, OSU or baseball with the New York Yankees. It was plain as the nose on my face the kid could cover receivers all over the field the entire time he played at PITT. …and btw, almost every-time I watched a PITT Live Wire interview this past spring, who did I see almost every-time in the background offering his help? Avonte Maddox! << A true PITTman fore-ever. There’s more than one… ike*

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  66. I think we will be surprised by where our guys go in draft. Maybe worse than Reed’s draft. Hope I am wrong. Go Pens.

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  67. Perhaps, just perhaps, Pitt is taking action precisely because they also heard those rumors. I’m telling you, it was pretty common water cooler talk when I was in SC.

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  68. Utter nonsense. The ACC has a long-term contract with all its teams. I cannot remember the termination date but someone else may. In fact no team can leave without giving up all its ACC revenue thu the experation date so no one is leaving either.

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  69. I think JoeK is talking about conversation with the boys. I get that. PITT being kicked out of the ACC is akin to to Heather being on vacation during a head coaching hire. Utter nonsense.

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  70. Heather has given no timelines, no dollar projections of what all this will cost. Most likely because, she needs to raise the funds. She’s been given the greenlight but it will take money to make it happen. And will it be completed on her watch? I dont see her being a long term fit with Pitt. She’s gone in 2-3 years.

    And believe you me, once the ACC truly understood who they invited to join, I’m pretty sure they put the pressure on Pitt to do something about their facilities. You’re Pitt, a school in the best conference if not second best in both football and basketball (the money making programs), and have facilities like Trees and Fitzgerald. And still no outdoor track after 17 years since the stadium demo. Inexcusable. Heather knows this and commented.

    Visit the facilities on campus of these ACC schools. Pitt is still 20 years behind. But yes we finally got softball, baseball and soccer stadiums. They are cheap and look cheap but at least we have facilities.

    Bottomline it takes money to compete with the big boys. Even Heather said this new 3000 seat arena with be done ‘reasonable’. That means cheap since she still doesnt have the funds lined up hence no timeline and no publicly disclosed dollar amount…read her statement during the interview on Pantherlair. It (the facility) will be something and functional. That is Pitt. My expectations are set low but at least this new venue will have AC.

    I am glad she is thinking rec center for students. I’ve posted on this before about how Pitt is being left behind and how this is very important to recruiting students and improving the quality of life on campus as well as the overall college experience (important for future donations). That is what a new OCS (multi purpose rec center) could have also served which I have proposed. And funny how we wont start talking about an ‘OCS’ until the Steelers begin talking about leaving for the suburbs. There is not one once of proactive tissue in the sports body at Pitt.

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