What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

TE Kyle Pitts, ATL (2 Viewers)

How many TEs have been selected in the top 5 of NFL drafts over the last 25 years? I happen to think Pitts is a generational dude, so not sure we've seen a case study for his slot and ability before.

 
pizzatyme said:
How many TEs have been selected in the top 5 of NFL drafts over the last 25 years? I happen to think Pitts is a generational dude, so not sure we've seen a case study for his slot and ability before.
Click to expand...
top 5? never ever right?

I have the complete list of top 20 TE picks since VD (2006 #6) memorized:

• Brandon Pettigrew Lions #20 2009.  
• Eric Ebron Lions #9 2014.  
• OJ Howard Bucs #19 2017. 
- TJ Hockenson Lions #8 2019   
• Kyle Pitts Lions #7 2021 (probably)

Other TEs taken in the first round since Vernon Davis but not in the top 20.

http://www.drafthistory.com/index.php/positions/te

 
BobbyLayne said:
top 5? never ever right?

I have the complete list of top 20 TE picks since VD (2006 #6) memorized:

• Brandon Pettigrew Lions #20 2009.  
• Eric Ebron Lions #9 2014.  
• OJ Howard Bucs #19 2017. 
- TJ Hockenson Lions #8 2019   
• Kyle Pitts Lions #7 2021 (probably)

Other TEs taken in the first round since Vernon Davis but not in the top 20.

http://www.drafthistory.com/index.php/positions/te
Click to expand...
Such a small list.  I'm happy to include Vernon Davis, people think they are similar prospects.  VD was 6'3, 245 or so.  He was faster, but slightly stiff, people said that even then.  Pitts is 3 inches taller.  

Vernon disappointed for a few years, and I couldn't remember why.  Then I looked him up.  Those SF QBs those three years were terrible, just brutal.  No one was scoring on those teams.  

Kellen Winslow, bike accident right off the bat.  Damaged goods.  

Pettigrew was def a more all around TE, not in the same galaxy as an athlete.   

 
BobbyLayne said:
top 5? never ever right?

I have the complete list of top 20 TE picks since VD (2006 #6) memorized:

• Brandon Pettigrew Lions #20 2009.  
• Eric Ebron Lions #9 2014.  
• OJ Howard Bucs #19 2017. 
- TJ Hockenson Lions #8 2019   
• Kyle Pitts Lions #7 2021 (probably)

Other TEs taken in the first round since Vernon Davis but not in the top 20.

http://www.drafthistory.com/index.php/positions/te
Click to expand...
Noah Fant went #20 in 2019.

 
"Best tight end film I've ever evaluated -- by far," said a veteran NFL offensive coach of nearly 15 years. "Playing him like a traditional tight end is like leaving a Porsche in the garage. You've got to get him out and move him around."
Click to expand...

 
'He allows you to dream'

Jimbo Fisher's Texas A&M staff delivered a clear message to his defense before a matchup with Florida: Put your hands all over Kyle Pitts, make him work.

That plan sounded great until Pitts slithered through double coverage for an outstretched 8-yard sideline catch in the end zone. Officials deemed Pitts out of bounds. No score. So, no worries. Pitts just stutter-stepped defensive back Myles Jones two plays later, worked a swim move to get open, then soared to grab a 5-yard touchdown pass with Jones draped on his left arm and Leon O'Neal Jr. closing in for a right-side rib shot. And Jones is 6-foot-4, showing how teams try to get creative when guarding Pitts.

Fisher considers himself fortunate that Pitts the "matchup nightmare" left A&M's Kyle Field with a season-low 47 yards and one score. NFL defenses might not be so lucky.

"In college, you can beat him up more," Fisher said. "In pro ball, when you can't touch him as much, he's going to be even better. Big guys can't run with him and little guys can't out-physical him. He's got catch radius, size, a wideout in a tight end's body. Plus, he understands routes."

A tight end hasn't generated this much pre-draft buzz since Vernon Davis went sixth overall in 2006. Davis was considered stouter at 6-foot-3 and 248 pounds, and he had elite measurables (a 4.38-second 40, 42-inch vertical). Pitts is leaner and has to eat furiously to flirt with 250 pounds.

But Davis didn't run routes like Pitts did. Pitts lined up just about everywhere in 2020, with 48% of his routes starting in line, 22% out wide and 30% in the slot, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. While most tight ends dominate the middle of the field, just eight of Pitts' 43 receptions last season were between the hashes. Pitts needed just eight games to catch 12 touchdown passes (second most in SEC history by a tight end) and roll up 770 yards.

Pitts accentuated that versatility at his pro day, working the inside with elite change of direction, then going deep for a 60-yard bomb that required all 83⅜ inches of his wingspan to corral (that wingspan is the longest of any receiver or tight end in the past 20 years, per Pro Football Focus data).

He ran a 4.44 40-yard dash and "competed his ### off" in every drill despite his status as a surefire top-10 pick, one veteran NFC scouts said afterward.

"I learned the game from the outside," said Pitts, referring to his days as a receiver early in his Florida tenure. "Switching to tight end helped me a lot, so when I did get the chance, I was moving and shaking like a receiver while I learned to block like a tight end."

The Gators hired Brewster in February 2020 to help refine Pitts, who had just completed a 54-catch, 649-yard, five-touchdown campaign in 2019.

Within seconds of watching Pitts work out in person that offseason, Brewster envisioned a player with no limits. So he asked Pitts if he wanted to become a complete tight end; Pitts responded, "Absolutely."

Brewster knows what a complete tight end looks like. He coached Antonio Gates with the Chargers in 2003, watching a former basketball standout transition to an eventual Hall of Famer.

"With a lot of tight ends you say, 'We can do this but we can't do that,'" Brewster said. "With Kyle, you can do everything. He allows you to dream."

Brewster and Pitts got to work on George Kittle tape for the ultimate blend of passion and lay-you-out blocking technique. One perceived knock on Pitts' game is his blocking. Pitts has allowed five pressures on 130 pass block plays over his career since 2018, good enough for a 3.8 pressure percentage allowed (71st best out of 81 tight ends on 1,000 minimum offensive snaps). But several NFL scouts say he's a capable blocker, and in 2020 his pressure rate improved from 4.3% in 2019 to 2.9%. And Brewster saw enough come-out-of-your-shoes moments, such as Pitts stuffing a defensive end on a one-back power play, to make Kittle proud.

Nuanced route running is what separates Pitts.

He can win inside on a three-step slant route with the corner shading that way because he can feint with his feet like boxers feint with punches, Brewster said. He accelerates quickly, but he has a plan every time he takes the line of scrimmage.

Or, as a last resort, he can just overpower a defender. There is no 50-50 ball with Pitts -- "it's 80-20," Brewster said.

"There were plays in the Alabama game where he was spinning around and pretty much catching balls backhanded," said Toney about Pitts, who got flipped around on a late-game, 22-yard touchdown catch in the SEC title game, drawing pass interference in the process. "He does the most amazing stuff every single day."

And he proved more reliable with his hands. After nine drops in his first two seasons at Florida, Pitts didn't drop a pass in 66 targets last season.

If teams rummage through the critique bag -- and that takes effort with Pitts -- there's a very mild concern he'll have trouble consistently beating good defensive backs when outside.

One veteran NFL offensive coach scoffs at that idea.

"I'd be comfortable lining him up on anyone but maybe Jalen Ramsey," the coach said.
Click to expand...

 
massraider said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgzNwK5449s

Highlights.  

Remember playing pick up football with your friends when you were like 13, and somebody's tool-ish older brother showed up and started playing?  It's like that.  
Click to expand...
I remember tuning into a rock n jock charity basketball game on TV a number of years ago and Richard Jefferson was playing like his life was on the line. Taking it hard to the rim, blocking shots, hustling back on defense, and his body language was like he was taking it serious. As he dunked on the likes of Mark Wahlberg or Lil Kim or whoever it was.

 
Florida TE Kyle Pitts told Pro Football Focus that he believes the first four picks in the NFL Draft will all be quarterbacks. 

It is not an unusual position to believe the first four picks will be quarterbacks. However, it is a little odd to hear from the non-QB best position to be drafted in the top four. Pitts has regularly been linked and mocked to the Falcons, in the event that they do not take a QB. Pitts (6'6/240) may be drumming things up for the fun of it or he may legitimately believe the Falcons will not take him, who knows. Pitts, like the rest of us, will find out on Thursday night. 

SOURCE: Pro Football Focus on Twitter

Apr 27, 2021, 2:38 PM ET
Click to expand...

 
Faust said:
Florida TE Kyle Pitts told Pro Football Focus that he believes the first four picks in the NFL Draft will all be quarterbacks. 

It is not an unusual position to believe the first four picks will be quarterbacks. However, it is a little odd to hear from the non-QB best position to be drafted in the top four. Pitts has regularly been linked and mocked to the Falcons, in the event that they do not take a QB. Pitts (6'6/240) may be drumming things up for the fun of it or he may legitimately believe the Falcons will not take him, who knows. Pitts, like the rest of us, will find out on Thursday night. 

SOURCE: Pro Football Focus on Twitter
Click to expand...
He’s a tight end, GM and agent all wrapped up in one. Talk about a generational talent.

 
If I lived in Utah I would marry Pitts, Waddle, Chase, Bateman, and Williams.  I would see Smith, Marshall, Lawrence and E Moore on the side.

 
ESPN's Dianna Russini reports that "as of now," Florida TE Kyle Pitts would be the Falcons' selection at No. 4 overall. 

Per Russini, the Falcons have "taken calls from just about everyone," but that "there hasn't been an offer good enough to trade back." Russini reports they are "willing to keep listening." This would seem to be the Falcons begging for better offers for a spot that's the highest anyone could move up for on Thursday. Although a special talent, Pitts would be a luxury pick for a roster with massive holes on both sides of the ball. 

RELATED: 

Atlanta Falcons

SOURCE: Dianna Russini on Twitter 

Apr 29, 2021, 1:22 PM ET
Click to expand...

 
@JohnnyU rename the thread!
 

Falcons selected Florida TE Kyle Pitts with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The Falcons seemed to publicly be begging for a trade down, but the right offer never materialized. A unicorn on the field, Pitts totaled 97/1,419/17 with the Gators over the past two seasons, leading all FBS tight ends in receiving scores while recording zero drops on 66 targets in 2020. With 4.44 40-speed and a 98th percentile wingspan (83 3/8") at 6'6/245, Pitts unsurprisingly averaged 4.91 Yards Per Route Run against man coverage last season — the third-highest mark of any player in the country, per PFF. There is confidence he will continue improving as a blocker at the next level given that he's never lacked for effort and will only be 20 years old in Week 1. Pitts is a truly rare prospect who was worth the top-five plunge for a team with massive needs on both sides of the ball.

- Rotoworld
Click to expand...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Buckna said:
I think he’s in play as high as #3 to Miami and then every pick down from that except the Lions and Bronco’s. I would guess Atlanta would take a good long look at him with Smith now their head coach, TE is a big part of his offensive philosophy and Hurst is literally their only TE under contract.
Click to expand...
Good call. 

 
Buckna said:
Thanks, for once I got one right!

Way before the pre-draft hype ratcheted up. I think it’s safe to say Miami would have taken him had they not traded down originally as well.
Click to expand...
Yes definitely. In general, I think it's historically been a huge mistake to take any TE in the top 10 of the NFL draft, but Pitts does look like Megatron. 

 
Truebluey said:
He's currently #229 in consensus redraft. 

Where do we think he is by Aug 20?

45 too high? Ppr
Click to expand...
In 12 FFPC BB drafts over the last 5 days, he is going as TE4 at 38. I know it is TE premium where I'm assuming you are talking PPR but 229 seems low even before landing spot. For the month of March Pitts at around 70 at TE8 and the hype grew throughout April.

Now that we know where he is he will be taken in the 3rd/4th in FFPC redrafts and people will take him in the 2nd. In regular PPR your guess is as good as mine. 

Clarity with Julio could be a big hinge here.

 
I see you said PPR. Yes 45 seems maybe about right. Not too high to expect him. Don't know if I could pull that trigger but he will go pretty high. Still can't believe anyone had him at 229 though.

 
barackdhouse said:
I see you said PPR. Yes 45 seems maybe about right. Not too high to expect him. Don't know if I could pull that trigger but he will go pretty high. Still can't believe anyone had him at 229 though.
Click to expand...
I was just quoting the average of fantasy experts who ranked players in the past week. But they tend to be very low on undrafted rookies until they know their landing spot. 

 
Truebluey said:
I was just quoting the average of fantasy experts who ranked players in the past week. But they tend to be very low on undrafted rookies until they know their landing spot. 
Click to expand...
Yeah rankings are often like that compared to actual real ADP.  Cross reference and you get a list of guys either severely undervalued or overvalued. Examine further and you might get lucky in two ways. Hitting on home runs *and* avoiding landmines. 

It is hard to imagine Pitts being undervalued. But as much as I think rookie RBs and 2nd year WRs are critical, rookie TEs are almost universally to be avoided. But some guys *are* special and Atlanta is as close to a great landing spot as I can possibly imagine. 

 
Falcons decline the 5th year option on Hayden Hurst, he will be a free agent after this season.  

I think it would be good for the offense, if not fantasy, to keep both tight ends, but you would have to assume he is moving on next year. Pitts will not even have Hurst around for competition.

By the by, the 2nd round pick the Falcons traded to BAL for Hurst is JK Dobbins.  

 
barackdhouse said:
In 12 FFPC BB drafts over the last 5 days, he is going as TE4 at 38. I know it is TE premium where I'm assuming you are talking PPR but 229 seems low even before landing spot. For the month of March Pitts at around 70 at TE8 and the hype grew throughout April.

Now that we know where he is he will be taken in the 3rd/4th in FFPC redrafts and people will take him in the 2nd. In regular PPR your guess is as good as mine. 

Clarity with Julio could be a big hinge here.
Click to expand...
Would be TE5 for me in redraft, can’t see taking him in front of the Big 3. After that probably personal preference but Hock looks to be in for a big year target-wise with no real WR’s in Detroit. Julio gets traded, probably becomes a toss-up but I’d probably shy away from a rookie TE.

 
massraider said:
Falcons decline the 5th year option on Hayden Hurst, he will be a free agent after this season.  

I think it would be good for the offense, if not fantasy, to keep both tight ends, but you would have to assume he is moving on next year. Pitts will not even have Hurst around for competition.

By the by, the 2nd round pick the Falcons traded to BAL for Hurst is JK Dobbins.  
Click to expand...
Imagine that offense with Dobbins and Pitts...

 
FreeBaGeL said:
Just saw him go 1.01, ahead of Lawrence, in two of my TE Premium (2ppr for TEs) superflex rookie drafts.
Click to expand...
Wow. Looks like the 1.04 or 1.05 value just soared through the roof in value with this development of Pitts to Atlanta. 

Imagine a 1 QB league, so it's likely

Chase, Pitts, Harris

then...

your pick of two top-flight RBs or two top-flight WRs or whatever

Or if Pitts falls, shop the 1.04 to the needy or take him. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
woodstock said:
Wow. Looks like the 1.04 or 1.05 value just soared through the roof in value with this development of Pitts to Atlanta. 

Imagine a 1 QB league, so it's likely

Chase, Pitts, Harris

then...

your pick of two top-flight RBs or two top-flight WRs or whatever

Or if Pitts falls, shop the 1.04 to the needy or take him. 
Click to expand...
The three RBs, Chase, Pitts. 

At 5, you're just standing there, letting everyone else decide which great prospect you get.  It's a comforting, if boring spot.  

The drop from Pitts or Javonte to Waddle/Slim Reaper is noticeable, to me anyway.  

 
massraider said:
The three RBs, Chase, Pitts. 

At 5, you're just standing there, letting everyone else decide which great prospect you get.  It's a comforting, if boring spot.  

The drop from Pitts or Javonte to Waddle/Slim Reaper is noticeable, to me anyway.  
Click to expand...
Yeah, that's true. But people seem to be varying their four and five. I've seen Williams and Etienne, post-draft, ranked or mocked anywhere from three to seven, with Smith and Waddle ahead of them at times. 

I happen to agree with you. 

Pitts is an interesting case. The history of tight ends is so bad and everybody says this is the year every year. But this really seems to be the year, if ever there was one. But a pick that high? It's hard to say you'll never get burned again when you're burned in the top three. Oof. I think risk minimization is not such a bad thing, that's all I'll say. 

 
massraider said:
The drop from Pitts or Javonte to Waddle/Slim Reaper is noticeable, to me anyway.  
Click to expand...
I go back and forth on this.  I see the same tier break (major tier breaks after 3, 5, 7).

On the flipside I then wonder if we as a fantasy community are underrating Waddle/slim reaper.  I don't love them as prospects, but the NFL seems VERY high on them.  McShay and Jeremiah both post their historical prospect grades from year to year (it can often be difficult to compare the top prospects from one year to another) and both of them had all of Chase, Waddle, Smith in their top 5 WR prospects since they started keeping track of their historical grades (2017 for McShay, 2014 for Jeremiah).

So Jeremiah considers Smith/Waddle the best WR prospects since 2014 other than Chase/Cooper.  McShay considers the two of them the best WR prospects since 2017 other than Chase/Jeudy.

 
woodstock said:
Wow. Looks like the 1.04 or 1.05 value just soared through the roof in value with this development of Pitts to Atlanta. 

Imagine a 1 QB league, so it's likely

Chase, Pitts, Harris

then...

your pick of two top-flight RBs or two top-flight WRs or whatever

Or if Pitts falls, shop the 1.04 to the needy or take him. 
Click to expand...
Can't say I agree, pre-draft it was already the 3 RB's, Chase & Pitts in some order. In at least one of my leagues I have been expecting Pitts to go #2 for weeks now. Williams you are going to have to wait a year, Etienne to Jax and Meyer calling him a 3rd down back has scared quite a few people off so it's just solidified that Pitts will go earlier than those 2 RB's in some leagues.

 
Buckna said:
Can't say I agree, pre-draft it was already the 3 RB's, Chase & Pitts in some order. In at least one of my leagues I have been expecting Pitts to go #2 for weeks now. Williams you are going to have to wait a year, Etienne to Jax and Meyer calling him a 3rd down back has scared quite a few people off so it's just solidified that Pitts will go earlier than those 2 RB's in some leagues.
Click to expand...
I think you agree more than you think, but I don't want to put words in your mouth. "In some order pre-draft" is the same thing I was saying, only now there a clear top three, as I indicated. 

Chase, Pitts, Harris

Then...

The two RBs or the two WRs, depending on preference

It's no longer the big three RBs and Pitts and Chase in any order. The landing spots for the RBs deterred that. It's the top three and then...

 
A fairly worthless observation I made.

We all know he's young and will be 20 years old at kickoff but something I was just looking that is kind of mind blowing, IF he hits.

When he enters his 4th NFL season he'll be 23 set to turn 24 a month later. Let's call him 24.

He's very easy to compare Pitts with the current big 3 TE's with respect to their ages entering each season because oddly enough Pitts and Kelce's birthdays are one day apart, Kittle's is 5 days later and all 3 within 27 days of Waller. So all basically same age entering each season.

Heading into their age 24 seasons the total amount of catches the current big 3 TE's combined for was 2.Pitts will be entering his 4th season at his age 24 season.  When Pitts enters his 5th season he'll be the same age as Kelce was the first year he caught a pass.

Now again all that's pretty worthless unless you consider the value of those 3 TE's and what it might be if they were actually young and try and relate that to what Pitts value might be even if takes him a few years to get all the way to it.

 
Considering him at 1.1 in a non-ppr, non-TE premium league where I have five of the first eight picks (1, 4, and 6-8).

Blew up an orphaned team and now I need everything. All I have currently is Chubb and Tee Higgins. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
He just went 1.01 in a .5 ppr league draft that started.  Serious hype.  I have the 1.02 in another league and not even considering him. 

 
Have the 1.05 and expect to draft Williams as I think Pitts will be gone, but if Pitts is there I'm nabbing him.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Ministry of Pain
Atlanta Falcons Offense '24- WR/RB/TE/QB and the OL
Replies
3
Views
179
zamboni
zamboni
ignatiusjreilly
QB/TE draft strategy 2023
2
Replies
82
Views
3K
Pip's Invitation
Pip's Invitation
BobbyLayne
2023 TE data - Targets, Snaps, Routes, Blocking %, Alignment
2 3
Replies
140
Views
6K
BobbyLayne
BobbyLayne

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)
Top