Steelers Could Keep Another Pitt Player in Pittsburgh in M.J. Devonshire

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers will be hosting former Pitt and Aliquippa cornerback M.J. Devonshire on a pre-draft visit, he told Steelers Now at Pitt’s pro day on Wednesday.

Devonshire, a 5-foot-10 3/4, 186-pound cornerback, played almost exclusively outside cornerback in Pitt’s quarters scheme the last three seasons, but projects to play either inside or outside cornerback at the NFL level. And it is certainly possible that the team sees him as a legitimate Day 3 option. Devonshire cut his teeth against Jordan Addison in Pitt practices, and it helped spurn him into a hot name in the ACC.

“That whole spring I was out there, and it was me and Jordan Addison one-on-one, and he ended up going on to win the Biletnikoff, so it ultimately made me better and helped me sharpen the tools that I’m going to need this week and going forward,” Devonshire said.

It was that experience matching up with Addison, which goes hand-in-hand with his three seasons playing on an island (lots of press, man coverage) at Pitt, that helped him stand out at the Shrine Bowl in January.

He had his best collegiate season as a redshirt senior in 2023, when he recorded 32 tackles, 10 passes defended and four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. Devonshire had eight interceptions and three pick sixes in his three years with the Panthers.

A four-star prospect coming out of Aliquippa, Devonshire initially attended Kentucky, where he played sparingly in two seasons with the Wildcats. He transferred back home to Pitt in 2021, winning an ACC title with the Panthers that year.

In addition to his ability at cornerback, Devonshire has been a solid contributor on special teams. He averaged 7.4 yards per punt return in his college career, with one touchdown.

Steelers Draft Profile: Battle-Tested Pitt CB M.J. Devonshire Brings Big-Play Ability

At the 2024 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Devonshire ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, with a 1.54-second 10-yard split. He posted a 38.5-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot-4 broad jump, a 4.35-second shuttle and a 7.12-second three-cone drill. At the Pitt pro day on Wednesday, he did 10 bench press reps and cut his three-cone time to 6.84.

Devonshire’s family is mostly Steelers fans, and the connection would be that he would love rekindle in Pittsburgh.

“Obviously special to play in any NFL organization, but to be at home, all my family are still Steeler fans and my granddad is a Steeler fan,” Devonshire said. “So, being able to play able to play for the Steelers and knowing how many people would be excited is cool.”

Because Devonshire played his high school and college football in close proximity to the Steelers (Pitt’s pro day was held at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex indoor facility that Pitt shares with the Steelers), he does not count against the team’s maximum of 30 pre-draft visitors.

The Steelers currently do not have a player with extensive background as a slot cornerback on their 90-man offseason roster, and head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged this week that there is work to be done in that area of roster construction.