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Aside from star wide receiver Tyler Boyd, no other Pitt football player was taken in this weekend's NFL Draft. But tight end J.P. Holtz signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Cleveland Browns, per his Twitter account.
Very excited to sign with the Cleveland Browns! Can't wait to get to work #DawgPound
— JP Holtz (@jp_holtz86) April 30, 2016
Cleveland was one of several teams that talked to him prior to the draft.
Holtz was probably hurt a bit by the emergence of tight end Scott Orndoff, who took some of his targets away. The tandem played well, but Holtz no doubt saw less opportunities through Pitt's use of the duo.
Overall, he doesn't have gaudy numbers, but this season he posted career-bests in receptions (24), yardage (350), average per catch (14.6 yards), and touchdowns (four). Holtz has reliable hands and is a solid player despite not posting giant numbers.
I like his chances to stick, to be honest. I'm not sure it will be with Cleveland but I do think Holtz has value and is capable of playing on Sundays. It will be interesting to see if he remains a tight end since several teams were reportedly looking at him as a fullback.
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