Audible gasps followed Deuce Spann’s completion of the vertical jump Thursday at Pitt’s Pro Day at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side.
Spann’s former Panthers teammates had a similar reaction when the 6-foot-4 wideout ran an unofficial 4.37-second 40-yard dash.
At the start of Pitt Pro Day, Spann, a receiver with only 13 catches in 2025, had among the lowest profiles of the 15 participating players.
Following an impressive day in front of scouts from every NFL club, Spann may have just generated some professional prospects for himself.
“I feel like I opened a lot of eyes (Thursday),” Spann said. “Put the work in, trusted God and just came out here and tried my best. I feel like I did good.”
Spann’s 40-yard dash and 38-inch vertical were the top numbers recorded by any participant in the two drills Thursday.
Still, Spann felt like he had even more to give.
“I’m good with the numbers, but I feel like I could have did way better on the vertical,” he said. “I was jumping at 40 (inches and) and was trying to get past 40 (Thursday). But it is what it is. I tried my best.”
For someone like Spann, who didn’t receive an invitation to the Senior Bowl or the NFL Combine, Pitt’s Pro Day offered the first opportunity to showcase his abilities in front of a large gathering of scouts.
Naturally, Spann and the majority of his fellow performers (with Kyle Louis being the only player in the bunch considered a lock for the upcoming NFL Draft) felt some degree of pressure to perform on Thursday’s stage.
But Spann was driven by self-confidence. By day’s end, he’d arguably stolen the show.
“I can be a deep threat, I can block on the perimeter, I can be any receiver they need me to be, doing anything,” Spann said.
Spann played just one season at Pitt after transferring from Florida State, where he appeared in 27 games from 2022-24. Prior to that, he played 2020 and 2021 at Illinois and was a dual-threat quarterback at Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Spann never enjoyed a true breakout campaign at any of his destinations.
In 2021, he caught five passes at Illinois and over three seasons with the Seminoles, had only 10 receptions.
Last fall, he hauled in 13 for 142 yards with the Panthers, both career-high figures, while returning 15 kicks for 337 yards.
In total, as a college receiver, he recorded 28 catches for 358 yards and three touchdowns.
By comparison, Pitt tight end Justin Holmes, who joined in the pro day drills alongside Spann, had 28 grabs for 301 yards and four scores last season.
Spann recognized that special teams will also be a critical component of his quest to make it to the next level.
While he never returned a punt in college, Spann has been training to incorporate that into his game. For his career, he had 28 kickoff returns for 685 yards and a touchdown.
“Special teams is factoring in a lot, because I feel like I can do it all — run down those punts, play kick returner and I just feel like I can do anything the coaches need me to,” Spann said. “I like doing special teams, as well.”
Despite modest overall statistics, Spann’s size, coupled with his pro day performance, may have gotten him on the radar of some NFL teams in advance of the draft.
“He’s a big man who can run and catch,” coach Pat Narduzzi said.
