Twyman flexes strength, Weaver, Pinnock shine in Pitt pro day

Pitt's 2021 pro day looked like a success.

No NFL Scouting Combine in 2021 ramped up the importance of these showcases on campuses across the nation. Pitt's pro day at the UPMC Sports Complex included Jaylen Twyman and Paris Ford, two of the Panthers' best players from 2019 who opted out from the 2020 season.

The day also showcased Panthers whose eligibility ran out in 2019, but had no chance at a pro day last season as the pandemic shut down all on-campus workouts after the combine. That led to 16 former Panthers participating in normal combine events and field drills:

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Pitt's participating athletes at its 2021 pro day.

Of course, all eyes were on the Panthers' top players who would've been invited to the combine to display their athleticism. Those included Twyman, Ford, Patrick Jones, Rashad Weaver, Damar Hamlin and Jimmy Morrissey.

The biggest name everyone was watching was Twyman. The defensive tackle who was First Team All-ACC in 2019 and was consistently projected as a first round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft before he opted-out of last season in August. That decision led to him missing the entire year and many to question just how good he would be in the NFL after a year off.

Twyman quickly put any question of his strength to rest by putting up 40 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press:

That's extremely impressive for multiple reasons. First, it would've been the second-most reps of any player in the 2020 combine and the most by any defensive lineman at the combine since 2000.  Second, even Twyman's mentor and three-time NFL MVP Aaron Donald, who was on-site for the pro day, admitted on the ACC Network broadcast that even he couldn't do that many reps at Twyman's age.

"I was trying to put my best foot forward," Twyman said. "When I got up on the bench, I was reminding everyone that I didn't warm up. I did some arm circles but I didn't touch a pre-weight or anything. I was trying to show that I haven't just been sitting at home."

Twyman admitted that he was conflicted about sitting out the 2020 NCAA season, noting that he felt he needed to do it to take care of his family, but also that he did miss football and admired Pitt's defense from afar.

"I know for a fact that if I played with (Weaver) and (Jones) coming off the edge and those great defensive backs my numbers would have been better than last year," Twyman continued. "The sacks would've been falling in my lap."

Which day of the draft Twyman will be selected is still unknown. While his performance on the bench press was elite, Twyman's broad jump of 104 inches and three-cone time of 8.0 seconds each would've been among the worst performance of defensive linemen in the 2020 combine. 

Combine that with teams being unsure of his play on the field after missing a season and those variables could vary his draft stock from team to team. But Twyman did reveal that he's spoken with 23 NFL teams so far this offseason. 

Twyman wasn't the only player who didn't have his best day on certain drills.

Ford also opted-out of the 2020 season after Pitt's blowout loss to Notre Dame, but he still has been projected as a solid Day 2 pick in the draft. But his broad jump of 110 inches, vertical jump of 28.5 inches, and 40-yard dash time of 4.83 seconds all would've ranked dead last among safeties in the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. 

He didn't truly excel at any of his events, but Ford said he gave his all and that his 'proof is in the pudding' of his college tape. Ford said he was excited to be the first person in his family to create generational wealth with an NFL career, and that he's been working for this opportunity since he was five.

Ford certainly was a playmaker on the field. In the 20 games he played the past two seasons, Ford totaled 20 pass breakups, six interceptions, three forced fumbles and 147 tackles. He was an aggressive, hard-hitting safety who could also make plays on the ball. But the tape of those successes will have to prop up his draft stock by itself after his pro-day performance.

Jones also had an unfortunate day. He had uninspiring performances with 22 bench-press reps, 107 inches on his broad jump, and 31.5 inches on his vertical jump. All of those performances would've ranked among the worst of defensive linemen in the 2020 combine. He then tweaked his hamstring in the middle of his 40-yard dash, which he finished in 4.80 seconds, and ended his day before he could run a shuttle or a three-cone drill.

However, several other former Panthers did have good performances.

While full data wasn't released for D.J. Turner, his 23 reps on the bench press would've been the best showing for wide receivers at the combine. Pat Narduzzi also said that he arranged for Turner to run special-teams drills of fielding kicks and punts to show NFL scouts how versatile of a player he'd become.

Weaver had a solid day led by an exceptional 6.98 showing in the three-cone drill. That performance would've been the second-best of any defensive lineman at the 2020 combine, and fourth-best of any combine dating to 2000. He also excelled in the shuttle with a 4.30 that would've been the fastest time of defensive linemen in last year's combine and fifth-best at the position since 2000.

He also did well with 114 inches on his broad jump and 32.0 inches on his vertical jump, which would've ranked 14th and 10th respectively among defensive linemen last year. His 4.83 time on the 40-yard dash would've been 13th best.

"I'm an edge player," Weaver said. "Everybody wants us to run these 4.5 40-yard dashes and that's a great thing but when's the last time I ran 40 yards on a field? If I'm running 40 yards downfield it's not a good play for the defense. I can bend off the edge, stay low and get out of there. I've naturally always been good at the shuttle and the three-cone so I'm super happy with those results. I try to play off the edge, bend, stay low and run. It just shows I checked those boxes. There shouldn't be any questions there when you're looking for an edge player."

For a comparison, Steelers edge rusher Alex Highsmith posted the best shuttle time with 4.31 seconds and the fifth-best three-cone time with 7.32 seconds. So Weaver beating those numbers and coming off a season where he earned consensus All-American honors will continue to improve his draft stock.

Narduzzi said NFL teams have been impressed with Weaver's and Jones' film study.  He noted that when heading to the Senior Bowl both Weaver and Jones asked defensive line coach Charlie Partridge to send them tape on every offensive tackle at the event. 

Hamlin posted solid numbers with 4.59 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 35-inch vertical jump, 118-inch broad jump. All of those numbers except the broad jump would've put him in the middle of the pack of 2020 safeties at the combine. 

But the person who increased his draft stock the most was cornerback Jason Pinnock, who wouldn't have been an invitee to the combine this year and has been an overlooked player on draft boards. But his numbers excelled Wednesday:

Among cornerbacks in the 2020 combine, those numbers would've ranked Pinnock third in the vertical jump, seventh in the broad jump, 12th in the 40-yard dash, third in the shuttle and second in the three-cone drill. At 6-foot-1, Pinnock could fit the bill for NFL teams looking for an athletic and experienced cornerback with that kind of length.

"There were a lot of things I felt I should've been invited to," Pinnock said. "It was definitely somewhat disappointing. I felt like I fell short on my numbers today, but they are what they are. But I've done a lot. I thank coach (Randy) Bates for it. I've done a little bit of safety, outside linebacker on third-down packages, covered the slot, the outside, the boundary, and jammer on special teams. I'm versatile, I can do a lot, and I'm a long corner."

Pinnock could be an interesting prospect for any teams looking for a late-round pick at cornerback to help on special teams and defense. If Pinnock were selected, it would most likely give Pitt seven drafted players in the 2021 class with Twyman, Ford, Morrissey, Weaver, Jones, Hamlin added with Pinnock.

The last time Pitt had six players selected in an NFL draft class was the Larry Fitzgerald-led class of 2004. The last time Pitt had seven players selected in a class was 1990, with the most players in a single class in 1981 when Hugh Green led a group of 12 Panthers after being selected seventh overall.

Time will tell how this class is remembered, but in a season wrecked by COVID-19 and unparalleled obstacles, Pitt could have one of its best classes in a long time.