Pitt hopefuls grind in Pro Day

Former Pitt safety P.J. O’Brien started playing football at the age of 3 in a league called Super Pee Wee in Pompano Beach, Fla.

And there he was Wednesday — 19 years later — still chasing footballs, pass catchers and dreams all over a football field, unwilling to put an end to what he called “all I know.”

O’Brien was one of 14 players — 12 from Pitt — participating in the school’s annual Pro Day inside the Panthers’ indoor facility on the South Side. They auditioned for scouts and coaches from 32 NFL teams, lifting 225 pounds on the bench press, testing their athleticism in the vertical jump, broad jump, threecone drill and 40-yard dash and going through position-specific drills on the field.

In a worst-case scenario, none of them will hear their name called during the first two days of the NFL Draft. Which is why safety Donovan McMillon, a Peters Township graduate, was right when he said those three days (April 24-26) will be nothing but “stressful.”

But no one was deterred. “Everybody here, I feel like, has a chip on their shoulder and something to prove,” said linebacker Brandon George, who wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine but had Wednesday’s best efforts in the bench press (28 reps) and vertical jump (42 1/2 inches). Those numbers would have led all linebackers at the Combine — two more lifting reps and 2 inches higher in the vertical than California’s Teddye Buchanan, who was No. 1 at that position in Indianapolis.

O’Brien, who ran a 4.59 40-yard dash, was asked why he continues to play the game that has consumed his life for nearly two decades. He was quick with a smile and answer.

“That’s all I grew up knowing,” he said. “I’ve been doing this longer than I’ve been going to school. My life is boring. All I do is watch film, play football, go home, go to sleep. I barely have any time to talk to my family.

“It’s a tool. Me and my family, we come from nothing. That tool led me to everything.”

Nervous with so many eyes on him? No time, he said.

“Being nervous won’t be able to feed my family. I’m still one of those underrated guys so I have a lot to show to the scouts.”

Also uninvited to the Combine despite leading Pitt in tackles the past two seasons (115 and 105), McMillon was eager to display his talents.

“I’ve been overlooked,” he said after running the best 40 of the day (4.47). “People questioned my athletic ability. People questioned my speed. You have to cover (NFL) guys who are literally cheetahs on the field. Being able to showcase my speed was really important to me. Hopefully, that changed some thoughts about me.”

He credited Pitt’s coaches, who he said “tore me apart and put me back together to be the best possible safety I can be.”

Tight end Gavin Bartholomew said he is trying not to sweat over the process that will decide his professional football fate.

“Just waiting for it to feel real. On draft day, it will feel pretty real,” he said.

He promised, “I’ll run through someone when I get the ball.”

George was labeled an “athletic freak” by former Pitt defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, who was in attendance after being a No. 1 draft choice of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers two years ago. George struggled to put up his 28th and final rep on the bench press, but he was proud he did it. “I felt like the tank was emptying out a little bit,” said George, who set a Pitt record for career games played (65). “Just grinding through.”

But it was his 40 time (4.62) at 246 pounds that he hoped really opened some eyes.

“I feel like I showed, even though I’m 246 pounds, I can still move,” he said. “I’m feeling good about what I did, and I’m hoping everybody does, too.”

If George is drafted, he will be only the second Pitt middle linebacker selected since Scott McKillop in 2009.

Other notable performances:

• Offensive tackle Branson Taylor, who had season-ending knee surgery 4 1/2 months ago, did 25 bench press reps and jumped 28 1/2 inches at 6-foot-6, 315 pounds.

• Kicker Ben Sauls hit from 58 yards and was wide left from 62 after converting 52 of 64 career attempts and seven of 12 from 50-plus. He shares the Pitt record (58) with Alex Kessman and predicts the ability to hit from that distance will become even more crucial.

“They are kicking more and more 50yard field goals, and people are making more of them. So the expectation is a little higher,” he said. “Back in the day, it was probably 50-50. If you hit a 50-yard field goal, great. If you missed it, whatever. I bet (Brandon) Aubrey (Cowboys) will hit a 70-yard field goal in the next couple years.”

Coach Pat Narduzzi, who had nine defensive backs drafted from 2018 to 2024, had his day made when a Buffalo Bills scout told him, “We’ve never missed on a guy from Pitt.”

Narduzzi pointed out Pitt’s total of 19 players drafted since 2019 is second in the ACC.

“What we do is try to develop our players,” he said. “You want to win football games, but eventually this is the goal. We don’t have all the (recruiting ranking) stars all those other (schools) do, but we develop our guys. We get the right people, character wise and they’re tough. When they go to the NFL, they’re reliable.”

NOTE: Others who took part in Pro Day were former Pitt defensive end Bam Brima, running back Daniel Carter, offensive lineman Jason Collier, defensive end Nate Matlack, special teams player Josh McCarty, wide receiver Konata Mumpfield, former Shady Side Academy and Slippery Rock defensive back Eddie Faulkner and former Duquesne quarterback Darius Perrantes. Mumpfield worked out last month at the Combine but was nursing a sore ankle Wednesday.