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Devin Street and Aaron Donald plan return to Pitt for senior seasons

By CardiacHill
Jonathan Daniel

Not much has gone right this season for Pitt, but the Panthers got some good news when wide receiver Devin Street and defensive lineman Aaron Donald both announced they were planning to return for their senior seasons.

The first thing to point out is that players have said this before and then bolted for the NFL. The last one that immediately comes to mind is Lesean McCoy who said he'd be back for a third season, but then left for the Draft, anyway. But for the sake of argument, let's say they're actually both going to return.

Pitt juniors Devin Street and Aaron Donald are among the top players in the Big East at their respective positions, but both said Monday they are not thinking about leaving school early for the NFL Draft. "Yeah, definitely," said Street when asked if he plans to return for his senior season in 2013. "I think I’ll be back next year. But I’m just focused on Rutgers (Saturday’s opponent) and finishing these two games off for these seniors and get them to a bowl game." Donald, who anchors the defensive line at tackle, said he is similarly focused, and he has not thought about the future.

Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/2983774-85/chryst-street-season-donald-games-saturday-yards-carries-east-focused#ixzz2Cjh79mF7
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Pitt juniors Devin Street and Aaron Donald are among the top players in the Big East at their respective positions, but both said Monday they are not thinking about leaving school early for the NFL Draft. "Yeah, definitely," said Street when asked if he plans to return for his senior season in 2013. "I think I’ll be back next year. But I’m just focused on Rutgers (Saturday’s opponent) and finishing these two games off for these seniors and get them to a bowl game." Donald, who anchors the defensive line at tackle, said he is similarly focused, and he has not thought about the future.

Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/2983774-85/chryst-street-season-donald-games-saturday-yards-carries-east-focused#ixzz2Cjh79mF7
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

That may have sounded like a foregone conclusion, but when you think about it, it really wasn't. Street is the third-leading receiver in the Big East in receptions (59) and yards (806), and has a chance to get to 1,000 on the season. Donald, meanwhile, hasn't racked up the big totals he did last season (he only has 3 1/2 sacks so far this year), but is an NFL caliber player and would have a decent shot to be drafted.

I'm of the opinion that both can improve their chances to be picked by coming back for another season, but as we've seen before, that doesn't always happen. Plenty of players come out too soon (Greg Lee, anyone?), so it's good to see these guys stay in school if that's indeed what they do.

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