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Pitt defensive lineman Patrick Jones II and defensive back Damar Hamlin celebrate a stop against Delaware in the fourth quarter Saturday, Sept. 28 2019, at Heinz Field.
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Patrick Jones, Rashad Weaver, Damar Hamlin turn focus to NFL future

Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

Patrick Jones, Rashad Weaver, Damar Hamlin turn focus to NFL future

Patrick Jones II and Rashad Weaver, Pitt’s high-profile tandem at defensive end, announced Friday that they’re focusing on their NFL futures, preemptively forgoing the Panthers’ possible bowl game (a point later made moot by the team’s decision to not participate in any postseason game).

While he hasn’t announced anything on social media, senior safety Damar Hamlin said he would do the same, a source told the Post-Gazette. Hamlin and Weaver did not travel to Georgia Tech for Pitt’s Thursday night regular season finale, opting to focus on preparing for the draft.

Jones and Weaver, the fourth- and fifth-ranked defensive ends in the 2021 NFL draft class by ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr., both have a chance to land in the first round come April. Hamlin, meanwhile, is a projected mid-round pick.

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Semifinalists for the Bednarik Award, given to college football’s top defensive player, Jones and Weaver combined for 16.5 sacks this season, more than any duo in the country. Prior to Pitt’s game at Georgia Tech, Jones ranked first in the ACC and second nationally in sacks (9), while Weaver led all players in quarterback pressures (48), according to Pro Football Focus.

Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) prepares to get off a pass during the first half at Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta on Thursday, December 10, 2020.
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Weaver would have added to that total if he played against the Yellow Jackets on Thursday night. Instead, he signed with an agent and left Pittsburgh to start training in Phoenix.

That was Weaver’s plan for a while, to move on after Pitt’s originally scheduled regular season finale at Clemson on Nov. 28. The Georgia Tech game being postponed from Nov. 14 to Thursday night due to COVID-19 issues within both programs almost caused Weaver to switch his itinerary around. But Weaver, who tore his ACL last August and missed the 2019 season, didn’t want to take any chances.

“It was a very difficult decision, but knowing what it’s like to potentially lose all your dreams due to a knee injury in practice, I ultimately decided to stick to my original plans to best prepare myself for the combine,” Weaver said in a statement on Twitter.

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That was Hamlin’s reasoning, too. His father, Mario, told the Post-Gazette that the Central Catholic graduate’s goal coming back to Pitt for a fifth year was to reach the ACC championship game. Once that was no longer an option, Hamlin prepared for the Clemson game to be his last in a Pitt uniform — and it was, even with the Georgia Tech game moved to December.

Hamlin, the team’s leading tackler with 66 stops, stayed with the program this week and helped Pitt’s secondary prepare for the Yellow Jackets. Hamlin’s father said his son was told by Pat Narduzzi that he couldn’t travel with the team to Atlanta due to COVID-19 limitations.

So, Hamlin and Weaver watched from afar as Pitt beat the Yellow Jackets, 34-20.

Jones, who played at Georgia Tech and logged a team-high seven tackles, said he wanted to “be there for my boys” one last time in ACC play. But after the game, the captain said he understood Weaver and Hamlin’s respective decisions.

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“They’re great players who gave us everything they got,” Jones said. “They made their decisions. All you can do is respect it and support them.”

Narduzzi echoed that in his postgame press conference, saying he “totally supports” Hamlin and Weaver. The coach also said playing the likes of John Morgan, Deslin Alexandre and Erick Hallett in their place at Georgia Tech was “an opportunity to move on to 2021.”

Of course, after Friday night’s decision to bow out of bowl proceedings, all of the Panthers are done with their 2020 season, finishing 6-5 overall. Narduzzi had previously said he expected that the Panthers would accept a postseason bid if it was extended, but he said in a statement Friday that he supported his players’ decision to put an end to the strange, pandemic-altered season.

Pitt’s other NFL prospects — namely quarterback Kenny Pickett and center Jimmy Morrissey — have not announced plans to move on from the program yet. Both have the opportunity to return next season with the NCAA’s blanket waiver. But Pickett and Morrissey, after walking at last month’s Senior Day, are expected to move on from Pitt and enter the 2021 draft.

All told, Pitt could safely have seven players picked if you include Jaylen Twyman and Paris Ford, who opted out in July and at midseason, respectively. Twyman is Kiper’s seventh-ranked defensive tackle, while Ford is seen as a “safe Day 3 pick” by NFL Network draft analyst Ben Fennell.

Fennell told the Post-Gazette last month that Hamlin “might have more upside and excite scouts a little bit more” than Ford. As for Weaver and Jones, he sees them as “bonafide Round 2 picks” despite some projecting first-round upside.

“I don’t think they’re going to be the darlings of the draft once we get to the offseason. ... But they’re solid football players,” Fennell said. “They’re not these Von Millers that are going to win with quickness and speed rushes all the time. But that’s all fan stuff. Scouts want good football players.”

If Jones, Weaver and Hamlin proved anything over their collegiate careers, it’s that they’re more than capable of making it in the league.

Jones tallied 22 sacks with the Panthers. Weaver recorded 34.5 tackles for loss. Hamlin racked up 290 tackles in 48 appearances. Pitt’s loss will be the NFL’s gain.

Now that their time at Pitt is up, it’s just a matter of figuring where they go next.

John McGonigal: jmcgonigal@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jmcgonigal9

First Published: December 11, 2020, 7:48 p.m.

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