Pitt WR Konata Mumpfield is ready to show the off his route running skills in the 2025 NFL draft process
Mumpfield had his breakout season in 2024 with Pitt and sees a lot of Diontae Johnson in himself, a fellow former MAC wide receiver with Toledo.
A few months away from realizing his dream of becoming an NFL player, Konata Mumpfield is ready to show just how special of a wide receiver he is. The former Pittsburgh and Akron standout will depart on Dallas, Texas compete at the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl, an opportunity to showcase his route running savvy in front of NFL personnel.
Getting to this point, though, took a lot of hours refining his craft. Despite Mumpfield’s high school having success, making it to the semifinals of the 6A playoffs at Dacula (Ga.) two years in a row, he wasn’t heavily recruited, and neither were his teammates.
He faced defensive backs like Mill Creek’s Caleb Downs (now at Ohio State) and Westlake’s Nate Wiggins (now with the Baltimore Ravens). He watched Travis Hunter from afar become a star for Collins Hill (Colorado’s Heisman winner). Still, his only FBS offer was Akron, and the Zips offensive coordinator and wide receivers at the time, Bryan Gasser, was a big reason Mumpfield moved from Gwinnett County, Ga. to Akron, Ohio.
(Photo courtesy of the Associated Press)
“I knew I always wanted to play FBS football — it was like a dream of mine,” Mumpfield said by phone in December. “Akron was my biggest offer, my only FBS offer. Coach [Bryan] Gasser, said I reminded him of Diontae Johnson [who played at Toledo when Gasser was a coach there] a little bit. He took a chance on me, and I went up there and I knew they threw the ball a lot.”
Mumpfield was born into a military family. His parents are from Montgomery, Ala., and Mumpfield was born in Columbus, Ga., but they moved around, in and out of the United States, frequently. But Mumpfield had picked up football when he was four, grew up an Alabama fan, and says his favorite player growing up was Amari Cooper.
It explains why Konata wore No. 9 as a freshman at Akron and the last two of his three seasons at Pitt.
“I love watching Jerry Jeudy, Amari Cooper, that Alabama pipeline, I watched and studied them, seeing what they were doing,” Mumpfield said. “I just try to take bits and pieces from everybody, obviously, different receivers that I like, but just taking bits and pieces from everybody and adding it to my game.”
The art of route running
Pop on Pittsburgh’s offensive tape from the last two seasons and you’ll see some of the crispest route running from any wide receiver over the last couple of seasons. Mumpfield amassed nearly 2,000 yards, 154 catches, and 11 scores over the last three seasons, but it was 2024 where his skill set was truly displayed at its best.
The offense switched from a run-heavy mindset to more attacking vertically in the passing game under new offensive coordinator Kade Bell, who came over from Western Carolina.
It also helped Mumpfield be utilized downfield far more. He averaged 9.5 and 13. 1 yards per catch in 2022 and 2023, respectively, and that number jumped to 15.6 in 2024. About 1/3 of his snaps this season came in the slot, while the inverse was true about his 2023 snap usage, when he mostly played in the slot.
He finished with 813 yards, the most yards since his 751 yards output as a freshman All-American at Akron, and made defenders look silly on several occasions, particularly against Cincinnati.
“Agents would tell me that, that everybody loves the way, that I create separation, that I have reliable hands, all types of skills, I can win at all three levels, I know where to settle [in zone coverage],” Mumpfield said. “I can go one on one with the best, that's from the slot or the outside.”
Mumpfield came to the college readymade for creating separation, thanks to his various wide receivers trainers, including Stacey Bailey, a college star at San Jose State who played for the Rams and Falcons in the NFL and Terrence Edwards, Georgia’s all-time leading WR and who spent 11 years across the NFL and CFL.
While those sessions focused heavily on ball skills, Mumpfield said, he also learned how to transfer his weight, sink his hips at the tops of routes, and competitive one-on-one sessions against defensive backs allowed him to hone in on his craft. And it transferred to the field immediately as a freshman and over the next few years at Pitt, too.
His suddenness at the top of routes, route tempo, and strong hands have made him an intriguing NFL prospect, despite the lack of buzz surrounding him. When I asked him who he feels like his game mirrors, his answer was the same one his first college wide receiver coach said: Diontae Johnson.
“I think we have pretty similar body types, like the way he attacks things and whatnot. I think it's pretty similar. The way we get in and out of breaks is pretty similar. I feel like I'm probably a little bit better at the release, though. But I think top of the route, you know, tempo, speeding things up, snapping it off.”
Photo courtesy of Associated Press
When the one-on-one sessions begin at the East-West Shrine practices next weekend, Mumpfield will be the one turning heads. He’ll be a player that analysts and scouts leave talking much more favorable about. He’s not getting the love he feels he deserves among Draft Twitter right now, but Mumpfield is ready to show what people are missing out on with him.
“My whole career, I have been slept on and underrated,” Mumpfield said. “I feel like this process will be a big one for me this offseason. I just feel like I can do it all, to be honest. I can win short, I can win intermediate. I can win deep. I can win against press man consistently. I can win against off man consistently. I catch the ball well, I track the ball well, you know, I'm a smart player.
“I just feel like I think I should be [ranked] higher for sure than what people are saying.”