The 2020 season saw Florida’s Kyle Pitts and his draft projection shoot through the ceiling. Pitts was largely regarded as a prospect who had an opportunity to be a first-round selection. However, that draft projection has skyrocketed in the past 12 months. Let’s take a look at his NFL Draft stock and five potential landing spots for the uber-talented tight end.
Kyle Pitts’ 2021 NFL Draft projection
Pitts entered the 2020 college football season with a chance to cement his place at the top of the tight end position. There was plenty of excitement coming off a 2019 season with 54 receptions, 649 receiving yards, and 5 touchdowns. Somehow, someway, Pitts managed to increase his stock even further in 2020 with an outstanding season.
In eight games, the Florida TE reeled in 43 receptions for an incredible 770 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. His 17.9 yards per reception ranked 34th in the nation in 2020. Only DeVonta Smith (23) and Jaelon Darden (19) had more receiving touchdowns last season than Pitts.
That strong showing has seen Pitts solidify his likely landing spot within the top 10 of the 2021 NFL Draft. In his most recent big board, Pro Football Network’s Chief Draft Analyst Tony Pauline has Pitts ranked No. 4 overall.
In Pitts’ scouting report, Pauline describes him as an “amazingly athletic pass catcher who’s a receiver in a tight end’s body.” Heading into the draft, it is rare to find Pitts falling outside of the top 10 in mock drafts.
Best landing spots for Pitts
With the tight end position lacking depth around the NFL, a majority of teams could be in the market to draft Pitts. Let’s take a look at the top 5 likeliest landing spots for Pitts in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta’s offense is extremely impressive, at least on the pass-catching front. Despite Julio Jones coming off a season in which he played just nine games, he is still one of the game’s best wide receivers. Calvin Ridley enters his fourth season in 2021, having racked up over 3,000 receiving yards as well as 26 receiving touchdowns.
However, the Falcons do not have a settled situation at tight end. Austin Hooper departed in free agency last offseason after a solid final season in Atlanta. The Falcons traded a second-round selection in 2020 for Hayden Hurst in an attempt to replace him. While Hurst had 571 receiving yards and 6 receiving touchdowns, the Falcons could still upgrade the position.
Pitts would be an ideal addition for the Falcons. He can line up as a conventional tight end as well as splitting out as a receiver. Arthur Smith has demonstrated a willingness to get creative with his tight ends at Tennessee. That creativity, combined with Pitts’ talent, makes this an ideal landing spot.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have several options with the No. 5 pick. They could look to upgrade their worrisome offensive line, which certainly makes sense. Additionally, they could look to add more talent to their pass-catching group.
Ja’Marr Chase is one such option after the departure of A.J. Green. On the other hand, it is easy to make the case that Pitts makes more sense for the Bengals. In 2020, C.J. Uzomah flashed promise before his Achilles injury. Drew Sample was adequate but is not considered a major weapon.
The addition of Pitts would give the Bengals an immediate upgrade at the position. Pitts would provide Joe Burrow with a fantastic pair of hands and a game-breaking athleticism. Cincinnati could be a perfect landing spot for Pitts in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Miami Dolphins
Miami is another team in the market for more pass catchers. While many expect them to draft a receiver with their first selection, Pauline recently reported on the April 21 Draft Insiders show that Pitts is in the frame to be the Dolphins’ selection with the sixth pick.
The 2021 WR class is considered to be extremely deep. For many, there are receivers that can immediately contribute to a team that will be available in the third or fourth round at least. For that reason, making Miami the landing spot for Pitts would give them a chance to add two new weapons that can contribute from Day 1 for Tua Tagovailoa.
Combining Pitts with Mike Gesicki would make for a superb pairing at tight end. Both have the ability to split out as receivers, as well as play as inline tight ends. That would allow the Dolphins to exploit matchups in the opposing defense with regularity.
Carolina Panthers
There is much to like about Carolina’s offense. They have Christian McCaffrey at running back, with D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson at wide receiver. While that is a great group of options for newly acquired QB Sam Darnold, there is still room for more in the way of weapons.
Last season, the Panthers’ leading tight end was Ian Thomas, with just 31 targets for 20 catches. With no tight end having stepped up to fill the void left by Greg Olsen, the Panthers are an intriguing landing spot for Pitts. A group of McCaffrey, Moore, Anderson, and Pitts would certainly leave no questions about whether the Panthers gave Darnold the weapons to help him succeed.
Dallas Cowboys
When you talk about skill-position groups, they do not come much more stacked than the Cowboys. Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard make for a superb one-two punch at running back. At wide receiver, they have a group of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup.
However, the one glaring hole on the offense is at tight end. Dalton Schultz did an acceptable job following injury to Blake Jarwin. Despite his 63 receptions for 615 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns, the Cowboys could look to upgrade the position.
Making the Cowboys the landing spot for Pitts in the 2021 NFL Draft would give Dallas one of the best offenses in the league. Dak Prescott will certainly be left with no excuses if surrounded by talent on all sides.
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