Calijah Kancey became the second straight first-round pick from Pitt on Thursday, when the Buccaneers selected him with the 19th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
"Our entire program is bursting with pride right now for Calijah," Pat Narduzzi said Thursday. "This young man has absolutely earned all that comes with this night. Here's a Miami kid who didn't receive an in-state Power Five offer, comes up to Pitt and ends up being a unanimous All-American and first-round NFL Draft pick. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are getting a great player and even better person."
Fourteen Pitt players entered this draft process, and six in total were picked. Here are where the rest, aside from Kancey's selection from the first round, were picked over the course of Friday and Saturday:
FOURTH ROUND
β’ JETS: OT Carter Warren, pick 120
After no Pitt players were selected on Day 2, in the second and third rounds, the Jets selected the senior tackle Warren to protect Aaron Rodgers' blind side with the 120th overall selection, the 18th pick in the fourth round.
New York was rumored to have been in the mix for a tackle at pick No. 15, which was acquired as a part of the Rodgers deal, but selected Iowa State defensive end Will McDonald IV instead, after the Steelers leapfrogged them and took Georgia's Broderick Jones with the 14th pick.
A 2022 team captain at Pitt, Warren played in just four games last season after sustaining a knee injury in Week 4 against Rhode Island. He was Kenny Pickett's blind-side protector in 2020 and 2021, the latter season in which Pitt won the ACC Championship. Warren started in all 14 games and was a second-team All-ACC selection following the 2021 season.
Warren was the 140th-rated player and the 15th-overall rated tackle on Pro Football Focus' big board. The 6-foot-5, 311-pounder earned an NFL Next Gen Stats grade of 67 at the NFL Combine, 18th among Combine offensive tackles.
"We are thrilled Carter Warren gets to live out his NFL dream by returning home to play for the New York Jets," Narduzzi said. "Coach (Robert) Saleh is not only getting a great offensive lineman, but also a leader. There's a reason Carter was a captain for us and I know he will do the same, on and off the field, for the Jets."
A Paterson, NJ native comes home!
β New York Jets (@nyjets) April 29, 2023
Welcome to the O-Line room, @CarterWarren79!!
π° https://t.co/KD9qrE9FcO pic.twitter.com/US6AS6VCPb
FIFTH ROUND
β’ JETS: RB Israel Abanikanda, pick 143
The Jets doubled down on Panthers with their next selection after taking Warren, as the reigning ACC rushing champion was grabbed with the eighth pick in the fifth round to join his teammate.
Abanikanda, the youngest player in the draft at 20 years old, will serve as a change-of-pace option to Breece Hall, who was taken in the second round of the 2022 draft by the Jets.
The Brooklyn, N.Y., native won the ACC rushing title with 1,431 yards, which was boosted by his 320 yards and six touchdowns on 36 carries against Virginia Tech, surpassing Tony Dorsett's 303 yards as a program record for a single game and tying Norman Budd's 112-year record with his touchdown total in that game.
He shot up the draft board with his show-stopping pro day, in which he ran a 4.34 40 and jumped to a 41-inch vertical.
Respectively, those results would have finished second and first among running backs at the NFL Combine. He missed the Combine with a hamstring injury.
"What an awesome moment for a Brooklyn kid to go and play for the hometown New York Jets," Narduzzi said. "Izzy is an absolute steal for them. He is going to give the Jets home run speed in the backfield and can help them in the return game, too."
More running back juice comin' π
β New York Jets (@nyjets) April 29, 2023
Brooklyn's very own @IAbanikanda is a Jet!
π° https://t.co/S74mwxgp9T pic.twitter.com/8TaGZ00TLf
β’ BUCCANEERS: LB SirVocea Dennis, pick 153
Ten selections after Abanikanda went to the Jets, the Buccaneers grabbed their second Panther in the linebacker Dennis.
Two weeks ago, I wrote about how if there was one Pitt player I wanted to see the Steelers take, it was Dennis. Perhaps undervalued because of his size, Dennis tested tremendously athletically at the Pitt pro day, and he put on the tape in his lengthy career at Pitt to back it up. Dennis was a first-team All-ACC selection in 2022 after posting 94 total tackles while adding 12 TFLs and seven sacks. He was a captain and wore the green dot as the signal caller of Narduzzi's defense.
Dennis is a depth option for the Buccaneers, which has a linebackers room led by Devin White, Lavonte David, and Shaquil Barrett.
"SirVocea is going to be a tremendous addition in Tampa Bay for coach (Todd) Bowles, who certainly knows what it takes to build great defenses," Narduzzi said. "SirVocea might just be the most intelligent player I've ever coached. A 'green dot guy' if there ever was one. We are thrilled SirVocea and Calijah will be continuing their football journey together."
Welcome to the Krewe, Sirvocea! π#GoBucs pic.twitter.com/4lqFFqOYy1
β Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) April 29, 2023
SIXTH ROUND
β’ JAGUARS: S Erick Hallett II, pick 208
Flying under the radar as a prospect and without much buzz around him among mock drafters, Hallett finds himself in Jacksonville after being taken with the 31st pick in the sixth round.
Many would have put their money on Brandon Hill as the one Pitt safety which likely would have went in this draft, but Hallett might profile more as a cornerback over a safety at the NFL level.
He started in 31 consecutive games to finish his career at Pitt and was the MVP of the 2021 ACC Championship game in which he intercepted two passes and returned one for a touchdown. He was a second-team All-ACC pick after last season, and served as a team captain in the Sun Bowl. Just as any Narduzzi defensive back typically does, Hallett has a good deal of experience on special teams, which is likely where he will start his pro career.
Hallett continues a recent lineage of Pitt defensive backs in the NFL Draft. A Pitt DB has been taken in five out of the last six drafts, including four straight. Over that span, Narduzzi has sent seven DBs to the NFL.
Hallett was not ranked on PFF's big board.
"Erick Hallett was so vital to our defense during his career," Narduzzi said. "He's such a smart, instinctive, and athletic player. Erick is everything you want in a safety and I know he will be a really big asset in Jacksonville."
With the 208th pick in the 2023 #NFLDraft, we select Pittsburgh CB Erick Hallett II!@Erick_Hallett4 | @Dream_Finders pic.twitter.com/F0zChnwyYL
β Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) April 29, 2023
SEVENTH ROUND
β’ TEXANS: Brandon Hill, pick 248
Hill, at last, was taken, three choices before the Steelers made their final pick.
He ran the fastest 40-yard dash for a safety at the NFL combine at 4.43 seconds, and his athleticism score of 81 checked in at fifth among Combine safeties. He measured at 5-foot-10 and 193 pounds at the testing event in Indianapolis.
He was an honorable-mention All-ACC pick after last season. Consider this a slide, as Hill had grades in between the fourth and sixth rounds.
"The Texans are getting both speed and an aggressive hitter in Brandon Hill," Narduzzi said. "He has the ability to not only compete as a safety but also be a real difference-maker on special teams. Coach DeMeco Ryans and his staff got a real gem in a later round. I know Brandon will be ready to get to work upon arrival."
Welcome to H-Town, Brandon Hill π€ pic.twitter.com/hxQT61bD2P
β Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) April 29, 2023
All in all, Pitt had a strong showing in the 2023 NFL Draft. Their six selections tied for the fifth-most in the nation, and tied for first with Clemson among ACC teams. Since 2021, Pitt has seen 14 players drafted.
UNDRAFTED FREE AGENT SIGNINGS: WR Jared Wayne (Texans), OT Gabe Houy (Bears), DE Deslin Alexandre (Jets), DE Haba Baldonado (Giants).
