Florida tight end Kyle Pitts has declared for the 2021 NFL draft, thereby foregoing his final season of collegiate eligibility, as ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter). To guard against the possibility of injury, Pitts will not play in the Gators’ bowl game.
The 6-6, 240-pound talent is considered one of the best tight end prospects in recent memory, and as such, he is expected to come off the board in the first round. The Patriots and Cardinals profile as possible landing spots, and despite the presence of Mark Andrews, the TE-reliant Ravens could also give Pitts some serious thought.
Pitts ends his college career on a high note — at least from a personal standpoint — as he secured seven catches for 129 yards and a TD in Florida’s loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. In eight games this season, he compiled 43 catches for 770 yards and twelve scores. He is a semifinalist for this year’s John Mackey Award.
At the next level, Pitts will need to refine his route-running and blocking, but that’s largely true of any college tight end. He has experience lining up in-line and outside the numbers, and his outstanding body control and athleticism will serve him well in the pros.
Texans don’t pick until Round 3. Pitts is a top 10 pick all day. Don’t think about him as a Tight End. He’s a playmaker than can play in line or out wide. Plus, the designation as a Tight End will be beneficial to a team come the 5th Yr Option and potential Franchise Tags.
Pitts or Devonta Smith? That’s the discussion.
Depends on your QB. If you have a good QB, Pitts all day, since a good QB can get him the ball any play. He’s going to be a nightmare to guard in the pros, too. Can you imagine Aaron Rodgers with a guy like this?
What’s the point of mentioning the Texans then…?
Right? No one was talking about them, except maybe the voices in his head
I would love to see this kid with the Chargers catching passes from Herbert.
I would love for the Steelers to pick him up if he lasted that long. He could replace Ebron and McDonald, both of whom might go due to cap savings potential. A RB like Harris or Ettiene is more likely, but Pitts looks special.
Ebron maybe, but not McDonald. McDonald doesn’t line up wide and has blocking capability. Pitts is less of a red zone target than Ebron, though certainly capable, but he should be much better as a receiver overall.
He reminds more of Devin Funchess than Ebron-essentially a wide receiver with little to no value as a blocker, but great size compared to coverage defenders. Pitts is pretty quick, which is a good advantage too.
Funny because he reminds me of ebron coming out of North Carolina
Oh yeah, at the time of his drafting I could see it. Ebron was bulkier, especially his weight-to-size ratio, and I believe that he was a bit more of a red zone target than Pitts, who I think is a bit faster. Not a bad comparison I don’t think, by any means. I made that sound like more of a disagreement necessarily than I meant to. My bad. I mostly went with Funchess because I could see Pitts being able to transition to WR if a team wanted him to. Not saying that will happen-TEs are much more just outright receivers these days-but he could do it.