The University of Pittsburgh has a unique circumstance with its practice arrangements as it is the only college team that shares a practice facility with an NFL squad. While the Panthers and Steelers don’t interact very much, they are still in proximity to each other at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and players can naturally observe some of what is going on at the professional level. Pitt WR Konata Mumpfield made the most of this rare opportunity and took as much away from that experience as he could.
“Being able to see them practice the way they operate, the way they take care of their bodies and extra stuff they do, I definitely think that took effect on me for sure,” Mumpfield told our Josh Carney at the Shrine Bowl in Frisco, Texas.
Mumpfield’s connection to the Steelers’ side of the facility is a little stronger than most. He remains in contact with Steelers QB coach Tom Arth, who was his head coach at the University of Akron before he transferred to Pitt.
“He was my head coach at Akron, so we have a good relationship,” he said of Arth. “I communicate with him.”
So what were his key takeaways from his time at Pitt and the rare opportunity to be in close proximity to the Steelers?
“Definitely just how to be a pro. I mean, like you said, the Steelers is right there. And then at Pitt, it’s a lot of people that aspire to be professional football players, so just understanding how to take care of your body just to mature with your body physically,” Mumpfield said. “The playbook, going into pro style…putting in the extra time and that’s always something I’ve done, but just upping it to a different scale.”
Mumpfield was a two-way player in high school and a two-star recruit who ended up in the MAC with the Akron Zips. He played in 12 games as a freshman and caught 63 passes for 751 yards and eight TDs on his way to being named a second-team All-MAC player. He entered the transfer portal and ended up at Pitt, where he caught 154 passes for 1,940 yards and 11 TDs in three seasons.
He is known for his route running and his ability to separate and pointed to one former Steeler his game is similar to: Diontae Johnson.
“My mama one day was watching the Steelers and it was in high school and she kind of compared me to [Johnson] outta nowhere,” he said. “As I got older in college, I started watching his game and I’m really a big fan of his game. Like you said, route running, the way he separates, what he did at the Steelers. So I see it. I could definitely see it a lot.”
It’s not just Johnson’s play on the field that had Mumpfield’s attention but their similar background. While it’s still the top level of college football, the Mid-American Conference is made up of smaller programs that don’t receive quite as much attention on the national level. Johnson was a third-round pick out of Toledo, and Mumpfield draws inspiration from his journey to the NFL.
“I know that he came from Toledo, which is MAC,” Mumpfield said. “He went third round in Toledo, and I kind of watched his stuff too because I was like, ‘Okay, he made it out of the MAC. I want to get drafted out of the MAC, too.'”
Pitt has Mumpfield listed at 6-1, 185 pounds. He is a very fluid mover and built his game around savvy route running to get separation. But he knows he has a few things to work on as he prepares for the draft and his eventual life in the NFL.
“Just getting stronger, faster, just that more explosive aspect,” he said. “So when I catch it, I can go to the crib.”
Working on himself comes naturally. Mumpfield was raised in a military household, which meant moving all over the place. He lived in Japan for a time, for example.
“My father instilled in me just always working hard,” he said. “Regardless of what the situation is, what’s going on, put my head down, work and do the right things off the field with morals and values and those things that I value. I think that kind of plays into how I lead off the field. I think people just naturally gravitate towards me in that aspect cause I try to do things the right way.”
