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.

The Panthers return nearly all of their defensive line production from last season and should only improve thanks to a combination of incoming recruits and previously injured starters returning to health.

With the fall sports season approaching its final stretch, these three Pitt athletes have been crucial in helping their teams outperform expectations.

So close and yet so far — Pitt football was within a yard of closing its rivalry with Penn State out with a colossal upset Saturday at Beaver Stadium, but came up short in a 17-10 loss.