When Damarri Mathis put on a strong showing during Pitt's pro day last Monday, he not only boosted his NFL Draft stock, but also helped inspire the current defensive backs on the Panthers' roster to reach higher for their chances to make it to the NFL. Mathis poses to be the fourth Pitt defensive back selected in the last five NFL Drafts, and both A.J. Woods and Khalil Anderson are current Panthers in the secondary who were inspired by that and are excited to continue their growth in 2022.
Woods is a senior cornerback who's started four games over his first three years while playing in 24 games as a cornerback and ten games as a special teams player. Anderson is a redshirt freshman who is working during Pitt's spring practices on his conversion from being a cornerback to a safety to fill out the Panthers' depth at the position. After the team's tenth spring practice Tuesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, both spoke about the defensive backs have looked heading into the 2022 season.
Saturday, Pitt's offense and defense faced off in their weekly spring scrimmage. Pat Narduzzi informed reporters that the defense won out on the day with a slight edge, something that Woods sees as a result of the developing chemistry of the group.
"We did a good job of feeding off each other's energy," Woods said of the defense's win in the Saturday scrimmage. "We played the right technique, made a lot of plays on the ball from strips to picks, and we came out with a victory. Our whole defense looks good, but so does our whole offense. We look really good with how we brought back a lot of key starters on defense and added a bunch of key starters on offense."
Woods is set to take over as a full-time starter for the defense in 2022 after filling in at cornerback behind players like Jason Pinnock, who plays for the New York Jets now, and Damarri Mathis, who is preparing to be selected in the NFL Draft. During that time he's had nine passes defensed, two interceptions and a forced fumble on his stats, and those are numbers that both Narduzzi and secondary coach Archie Collins see growing in 2022.
"A.J. Woods has really been playing at a high level," Narduzzi said. "Khalil Anderson continues to improve on the back end. Bangally (Kamara) was out of his mind Saturday. He was all over the place and impressive. But (Woods) continues to go fast He's refining his technique, coach Collins has done a great job with him. M.J. Devonshire is also playing at a high level, Ryland Gandy continues to impress and Marquise Williams has been solid all along. But A.J. has had the constant reps and stayed healthy. That's helped him get better."
"It's interesting, we recently pulled up his camp footage from when he first got here," Collins said of Woods. "We were able to compare where he is now from where he was coming out of high school. His technique, change of direction is a lot better and he's getting out of his breaks. He's challenging guys right now, getting his hands on the ball and he's got 6-7 pass breakups on spring ball. He's progressing really well."
Among Woods' top talents along with his refined skills is his blazing speed, of which he isn't afraid to boast, nor is Anderson shy of admitting.
"Me," Woods said when both were asked about who was the fastest defensive back.
"I mean, he runs a 4.31," Anderson said of Woods in agreement. "I ran a 4.4, so I just say right now, it should be him."
Woods looks like the current starter at cornerback alongside Williams, while both Devonshire and Rashad Battle being the second line of cornerbacks. But Anderson was removed from those ranks after his first year with the team last season and has joined the safeties. The move isn't a demotion, but more of a recognition of his athleticism and talents, and is a common move in Pitt's secondary.
"Our job is to get the best four guys on the field," Collins said. "We're always truthful with guys when we recruit them and let them know they could play corner or safety. We've had a lot of success switching from corner to safety and had those guys realize their dreams and make it to the next level. Our guys see the proof is in the pudding, it's not a big challenge."
"It's been pretty smooth," Anderson said of his transition to safety. "As far as the playbook, new formations, it's been really smooth. The biggest thing for me has been getting down the different formations. They talked to me about playing safety before I even committed. After the fall season, they said it would be ideal for me to move to safety, so that's what happened. It feels permanent, and I love it. It feels like I can make more plays on the ball."
Anderson will most likely spend the year at safety learning behind current starters Brandon Hill and Erick Hallett II, both of whom were starters last season and key contributors in the secondary. But that's something he has no problem with as he learns the ins and outs of the position.
"I had to learn the checks for each formation," Anderson said of learning the safety position. "The safeties tell the corners what the checks are, and when I was a cornerback I just listened to the safeties. That's been the biggest thing to learn, but it's been smooth. Growing up playing football, I played quarterback in little league so I'm used to being a verbal guy on the field."
Last year, Hill and Hallett were the two learning how to play safety alongside each other as they replaced the 2020 starters Damar Hamlin and Paris Ford. This year, Collins sees the pair as a tool to help keep the whole defense in check and assist with in-game adjustments based off what the two are seeing play-by-play. That wasn't something they could do early last season, but developed as a skill between them as the season continued.
"They're at the level right now where they can change things up during the game like they were at the end of last season," Collins said of Hallett and Hill. "They understand all the checks and how to utilize them, so they can come to us as coaches and talk about what we want to use to counter offenses. That's always good. It broadens the menu, and you always want to have a small menu with big understanding. But now, we can expand a little bit, so you can have a bit of whip cream on your Sunday if you like that."
Anderson as a younger player is on a similar path to playing as Woods was two years ago when he was in his second year with the program. Just as Anderson can now, Woods benefited from being able to learn behind experienced starters while being sprinkled into the defensive rotation for learning experiences to help with his growth. That's a common factor with a lot of Pitt's players that come up the roster over the past few seasons, something that speaks well for Narduzzi and Pitt's program.
"Coach Narduzzi does a great job developing a culture here," Collins said. "These guys had a great opportunity to watch guys when they were younger and trust the process. They could learn from older guys, take coaching in, learn different techniques, and utilize those lessons as they mature as players. We talk about taking ownership in the room, and our older guys are doing that in the form of leadership."
Another example of that culture and success from older guys was Mathis, who had a higher vertical leap in his pro day at 43.5 inches than any other participant at the NFL Scouting Combine and a longer broad jump at 11-feet-1-inch than any cornerback at the combine. Combined with his 4.39 time in the 40-yard dash at the combine that ranked among the best cornerbacks, he's a shining example of how hard work pays off and can help a young Pitt player's chances to make the NFL.
"It's a great motivator," Collins said of his players seeing Mathis' pro day. "They get to see guys go through the process and then saw Damarri do what he did. Most of those guys know what he did, so it wasn't a surprise to our guys, but they loved watching him do what he did. I love Damarri, he was a pleasure a coach. But I also loved coaching Dane Jackson, I was just with him, JP (Jason Pinnock), Damar Hamlin and everybody we've had over the last few years. This core group right now? They love the game and have a different level of respect for it."
"It was crazy," Woods said of watching Mathis' pro day. "I'm very happy for him. Just watching how hard he worked to come back from his injury, it's inspiring. It gives a lot of guys something to look up to."
Along with young players coming up like Anderson is early-enrollee freshman cornerback Gandy, who continues to turn heads at practice. Just last week, Narduzzi told reporters that Gandy was already pushing his way up the cornerback depth chart after just arriving at Pitt weeks ago as a freshman. That progress hasn't stopped, as Gandy also earned praises from Collins.
"He's been doing really well," Collins said of Gandy. "I'm very pleased where he is mentally as well as athletically. He's challenging guys and he's physical. I love where he is right now, and he looks like he's already been here a year."
Being physical is important for Pitt cornerbacks, as they're forced to live on island and often have to dictate the terms of engagement when facing off one-on-one against opposing wide receivers. That challenge puts a lot on their shoulders, as a single mistake can lead to a big touchdown being given up, while their success on those islands allows the rest of the defense to play the fast, aggressive style that's made Pitt one of the best run stuffing and pass rushing teams in the country over the past three years.
"It's about how aggressive our defense is," Woods said . "We like to press a lot and be physical, and that translates well to the league. It also gives a lot of guys something to look forward to and work towards."
But Pitt cornerbacks get plenty of practice in facing top receivers when they go up against Pitt receivers every practice. Leading the group is 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner for most outstanding receiver, Jordan Addison. But as the defensive backs will tell you, he's not alone as being a major challenge to cover.
"Jordan's not the only dynamic receiver," Woods said. "Most of our guys can make plays on the ball even if he's the primary target. I think we have the best receivers in the whole country. We've got the Biletnikoff winner, we've got Konata (Mumpfield), Jared Wayne, Jaden Bradley and a bunch of other guys too."
"We're fortunate to have a very talented group of wide receivers," Collins said. "Each day they make us work hard on our fundamentals, technique and eye control. They'll challenge you based on your double moves, so it's great to go against those guys every single rep. They have a lot of depth, but we have a lot of depth at DB as well, so we enjoy it."
Mumpfield is the highly-touted transfer receiver from Akron who looks to be Pitt's second receiver, but still has to compete with the team's second-leading receiver from last season in Wayne, and Bradley is coming into his second season as a receiver who should see a significant boost in playing time.
But if you asked Collins, facing Addison and Pitt's receivers is dual-sided in how it can be a teaching tool. While the Panthers' receivers are extremely talented and a handful to cover, they're also a reminder of how Collins wants his defensive backs to approach each opponent.
"That's a tough question," Collins said about looking forward to matchups with his defensive backs and Addison. "We always talk about we're just facing a player with a number. We don't look at a certain guy for this, that or any other. That being said, Jordan's a heck of a wide receiver. But we don't change up our technique just because of the history of a particular player. We go into every game with the mindset that we'll always respect our opponent but we'll never be in awe of our opponent."
The "just facing a player with a number" idiom rings very closely to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin's commonly used "nameless grey faces" phrase. Both look to accomplish the same goal, for the player you're coaching to respect their opponent, but to remember that it's still up to the player you're coaching to win the battle in front of them. Pitt will get to showcase just how well Collins' defensive backs are taking to his teachings when they face off in Pitt's Blue-Gold spring game on Apr. 9 at Heinz Field.
• In addition to Narduzzi's contract extension that was announced Monday, Narduzzi had made it clear he made sure to negotiate raises for his assistant coaches in order to keep Pitt in competition with other Power 5 schools' pay rates for assistant coaches. Collins confirmed that, and expressed his appreciation for Narduzzi's efforts Tuesday.
"I love him for that," Collins said of Narduzzi's negotiation for a raise for Pitt assistant coaches. "I love the city of Pittsburgh, so it's a blessing to be back here. I'm excited and happy for my family, happy to be around these players, and it's just a blessing."
