Damarri

Mathis

He’ll have to clear protocol to play in Week 18. Mathis has had an eventful rookie season, making the starting lineup for the first time in Week 6 and had a 66.1 PFF coverage grade through his first 471 coverage snaps. The Broncos will be on depth outside next week if Mathis can’t go.

Mathis (5’11/196) is a five-year player for the Pitt Panthers, starting 25 games over his career. He did miss the 2020 season due to an injury suffered before the preseason. His best seasons came in 2019 and 2021 where he rebounded from the injury quite nicely. In those years, he combined for 4 interceptions and 12 passes defended with a passer rating allowed of 47.6 and 71.8. His biggest issues on the field were tackling in space taking poor angles and panicking in coverage. That resulted in 17 penalties during his final two seasons. Projected to be an early day three selection, Mathis is a well built prospect that plays with good strength and intelligence. His 4.39 speed hasn’t been able to translate in carrying receivers vertically, but he has the skills to grow in that area.

Going into the process, there wasn’t a lot of buzz around Mathis (5'11/195). After today’s pro day, there is a lot of buzz. He dominated the athletic testing after running a 4.39 at the combine. His jumps were absurd, jumping a wild 43.5" in the vertical jump and 11'1" in the broad jump. Those numbers really display explosiveness which pairs well with his physical nature. His draft stock is currently a day-three selection, but with great testing numbers like these, Mathis could see his stock rise.

The decision from Mathis (5'11/195) comes just a day after starting quarterback Kenny Pickett did the same thing. A starter this season after missing 2020 with an injury, Mathis played in all 13 games and registered 32 tackles, two interceptions, and six passes defended.

Mathis (5'11/195) made ten starts for the Panthers last season, and he was expected to once again be a key cog in the secondary with Dane Jackson having moved on to the NFL. The senior cornerback’s injury leaves a gaping hole in the Pitt secondary opposite classmate Jason Pinnock. Redshirt sophomore Marquis Williams is the player most likely to fill the void left by Mathis.

The Panthers were down two starting cornerbacks during UCF’s final drive of the game, as both Mathis (5'11/195) and fellow junior Jason Pinnock were out due to injury. Whether or not either will be able to play against the Blue Hens has yet to be determined, but minimum Pitt needs these talented junior back by the time the team returns to ACC play October 5 at Duke. On the season, Mathis has ten total tackles (2.0 for loss) and six pass breakups. Erick Hallett and Therran Coleman replaced Mathis and Pinnock on Pitt’s final defensive series of Saturday’s win over UCF.

“He’s a guy that, for a young guy, he doesn’t blink. I’ve been very, very happy with him,” Narduzzi said. Mathis (5'11/185) was a three-star recruit out of high school in the most recent recruiting class. While he has made a nice impression in camp to date, he probably will not see the field much during the coming season barring injury in the secondary. Avonte Maddox and Dane Jackson are already locked in as starting cornerbacks.