Pitt senior receiver Derek Kinder returned to practice yesterday after missing the past three days with a sore knee.

Kinder, who was the team's leading receiver in 2006 but missed last year with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, has spent the past year on a long, hard road to rehabilitation. He was cleared medically to play earlier this summer, but the first day of practice he experienced some pain while trying to make some cuts in certain drills.

Yesterday he still didn't participate in any of the contact or team drills, but he at least returned to individual and group drills. He's hopeful that his knee is rested enough that he'll be able to work his way back into the lineup.

"It felt good to go out and run around, coach limited me some but he wanted me to get back into the swing of things and it felt really good," said Kinder, who said he is close to 100 percent. "I just needed some rest for my knee after that first practice, my knee just wasn't used to those long practices. As soon as I get a few two-a-days under my belt and get used to all the running and pounding my knee is going to take, I hope by next week I'll be all right.

"I feel good cutting, but I need to get back to where I was before. I'm still waiting on that first hit, I hope it comes soon, maybe tomorrow."

Kinder said it was frustrating to have to sit out the past few days after working so hard to get back from the injury, but he understands the rehabilitation process on an injury such as his can be as long as two full years.

It was only a matter of time before Jason Pinkston returned to the starting lineup. And yesterday, on the first day of full pads, was the day.

Pinkston, who started three games last year but missed the rest of the season and all of spring with a shoulder injury, was in the doghouse to start camp. He wasn't in as good of shape as coaches wanted, so he began as the second-string right tackle as a motivational tactic.

The coaching staff's motivation seemed to work as he has started camp strong and yesterday was moved back to starting left tackle ahead of Jordan Gibbs.

"We moved Pinkston to left tackle, Lucas Nix to right tackle [second team] and Chris Jacobson to [second team] right guard," Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. "We wanted to give Jordan Gibbs a few days, but I wasn't happy with the way that was moving. And Joe Thomas has been OK, but I think the best competition we could give him is putting Nix behind him."

Receiver Jonathan Baldwin (Aliquippa) is one of the most heralded members of the freshmen class and one of the best athletes on the team. Coaches believe he will help the team immediately. Baldwin is 6 feet 5, 220 pounds, runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds and has a vertical leap of 41 inches. He already has provided some highlight-reel moments through the first five days of camp.

Yesterday, he made one of the best catches of anyone at a Pitt camp since Larry Fitzgerald was on the roster -- a leaping one-handed grab in which he out-jumped two defenders and snagged the ball before landing on the turf.

"Jonathan Baldwin made a catch that let everybody know that he plans on competing," Wannstedt said.

Steel Valley standout Tyrone Ezell, a 6-foot-5 defensive lineman, made a verbal commitment to Pitt yesterday. Ezell had offers from Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan, Illinois, Rutgers, Colorado and Maryland. His two finalists were Pitt and Ohio State. He committed yesterday during an unofficial visit. ... Starting cornerback Aaron Berry (hamstring), defensive tackle Mick Williams (strained muscle) and receiver TJ Porter (turf toe) missed practice yesterday. Also, defensive end Doug Fulmer (knee) missed another day of practice and continues to be day to day. All four are considered minor injuries. ... Wannstedt praised the work of reserve defensive tackles Craig Bokor (Hopewell) and Myles Caragein (Keystone Oaks). ... Former Penn State lineman Josh Marks visited practice yesterday and is considering enrolling at Pitt and joining the team as a walk-on.