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Kyle Pitts Drafted by Falcons: Atlanta's Updated Depth Chart After Round 1
April 30, 2021
The Atlanta Falcons selected one of the 2021 NFL draft's most explosive players by choosing Florida tight end Kyle Pitts with the fourth overall pick.
Pitts, who will not turn 21 years old until October, caught 43 passes for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight games in 2020.
Here's a peek at how Pitts should fit into the Falcons' offensive depth chart:
Falcons Depth Chart
QB: Matt Ryan
RB: Mike Davis, Qadree Ollison
WR 1: Julio Jones
WR 2: Calvin Ridley
WR 3: Russell Gage, Olamide Zaccheaus, Cordarrelle Patterson
TE: Kyle Pitts, Hayden Hurst, Lee Smith
LT: Jake Matthews, Matt Gono
LG: Willie Wright, Josh Andrews
C: Matt Hennessy
RG: Chris Lindstrom
RT: Kaleb McGary, Willie Beavers
Pro Football Focus noted that Pitts was the only college football player to have zero drops on 65-plus targets. He also never dropped a red-zone pass (31 targets) at Florida, per PFF.
PFF's Mike Renner raved about Pitts and his fit in any NFL team's offense:
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. called Pitts his highest-ever graded tight end prospect at No. 5 overall (h/t Marcus Mosher of Raiders Wire) and that the only other tight end who has received a similar grade out of college is Pro Football Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow Jr.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban discussed the tight end before the Crimson Tide's 52-46 win over Florida in the SEC Championship Game, in which Pitts snagged seven passes for 129 yards and a touchdown:
"Kyle Pitts, he's a fantastic player. His size and speed and athleticism, all those things make it very difficult to guard the guy. He's a very versatile player. He can play tight end, he can play on the line, he can play off the ball, out as a receiver. They move him around a lot. Creates a lot of issues and problems for you, no doubt. Probably as well as anybody we played against for a long time."
His 2020 highlight reel is filled with phenomenal catches all the way through:
Mosher provided some stills of Pitts' incredible catch radius to showcase just how big of a target the 20-year-old can be:
Pitts has the potential to be one of the game's best receiving weapons at tight end or wideout. Seeing him emerge as the top tight end in the game a la the Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce or the San Francisco 49ers' George Kittle would not be a surprise, and his versatility should help him immensely at the next level.
He can line up everywhere and succeed, and NFL draft analyst Matt Miller notably made this remark regarding Pitts' versatility:
Pitts has gold jacket-level talent. We'll soon find out if that comes to fruition in Atlanta.
The Falcons already featured a loaded pass-catching crew with wideouts Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, and now they've added Pitts to the mix.
Atlanta's offense could be lethal under first-year head coach Arthur Smith, who arrives in town after a successful stint as the Tennessee Titans' offensive coordinator.