As Pitt’s redshirt senior defensive end duo of Rashad Weaver and Patrick Jones II prepare for the NFL draft, they have both received a huge boost to their resumes.

The NFL Draft will be held April 29 to May 1 in Cleveland. Pitt comes in with a strong class including not only the six players listed below, but at least five others who have a shot at a late selection or at least might receive training camp invites.

A trio of Pitt football defenders — redshirt junior safety Paris Ford, redshirt junior defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman and senior defensive end Patrick Jones II — were named to the Chuck Bednarik Award watchlist Monday.

For most people, control is in short supply right now. Stay-at-home orders, business closures and quarantines are expected to extend well into the summer and timelines for a return to normalcy are fluid. It can be easy to lose focus on the world beyond COVID-19, but Pitt senior defensive end Patrick Jones II said he believes in that future, and its dependence upon his present.