Former Gators TE Kyle Pitts Is on His Journey To Be the 'Best To Ever Do It'
Photo Credit: University of Florida Athletics Association
To say that the Gators' Pro Day went well for former Florida tight end Kyle Pitts would be a gross understatement. He excelled in all areas and he proved - yet again -, that he is the best tight end in this draft class.
Some, including NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah and ESPN's Mel Kiper, even have him as the second-best player in the 2021 NFL Draft, period. That much was earned.
Ultimately, Pitts' goal is to become the best to ever do it, and he's well on his way to proving that as he inches himself into the NFL, set to be drafted in less than a month on April 29. Now, the question is, how?
“I would say, just, it's gonna come with consistency over the years, you know once I get to the NFL, wanna start at a high level and keep increasing every year and being able to do other things, the other tiny things I’ve done, which will make me special," Pitts told members of the local Florida media on Wednesday.
"So I feel like at the end of the day, all the preparation, just through the years, I feel like at the end I’ll be the best to ever do it.”
That's a lofty goal for any player to give themselves. But, while some will say they want to accomplish it, there are few that actually have that opportunity. Pitts absolutely does, his domination as a tight end is special, he's special, a unicorn.
On Wednesday, Pitts measured at 6-foot-5.5, 245 pounds. He would go on to run a blazing 4.44 40-yard-dash, accomplish a vertical jump of 33.5 inches, and a broad jump of 129 inches. His wingspan of 83 and 3/8 of an inch was the longest ever recorded by a tight end. Once again, unicorn-like numbers.
NFL teams will almost assuredly be lining up to select Pitts, someone who can complete an offense or start one anew with elite talent. Regardless, he says he's only just now scratching the surface.
"Still have some things to improve on, I feel like I have a long ways to go. So, just take it day by day, improving on something in different areas of football so to make me a better player, so that's something I want to work on every day, doing something, mentally, physically, something along those lines.”
Last season, Pitts took the college football scene by storm, accounting for 43 receptions for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns in just eight games. His hard work earned him the John Mackay Award.
It's rare that a tight end is regarded as one of the best offensive talents in the draft. In years past that moniker would go to a quarterback, running back or receiver. While the RB position has been overlooked as a late, the WR position continues to be the top dog in the race. Now, however, tight end is rearing its head, and for good reason, Pitts said.
"I think I translate because now at the tight end position it's starting to be able to get used a lot more in the pass game," he began.
"Back in the '70s, '90’s, you were lucky to get six receptions. So now the tight ends are used backside, three by one, attached, detached and all the different places, it makes them easy to get, you know, mismatches.
"That's a reception, that could be a touchdown so just, now, it's kind of the position is starting evolved, sometimes be wide receiver one, you know, the first read in blitz so you never know. But like I said the position is starting to change and tight ends I feel like are starting to change the game.”
Indeed, tight ends are starting to change the game. While not every NFL team has players such as Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, or San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, the idea of a tight end dominating the game is not foreign any longer, it's almost expected now depending on who is matching up against who.
While Pitts has been regarded as both a receiver and a tight end by draft analysts on social media and the like, no NFL team has talked to him about being a wide receiver, strictly a tight end. And that's just fine.
Pitts will likely be selected in the top 10 of this year's draft. He could even go as high as the top five, something almost unheard of for the position. That sort of hard work and dedication is something that the former Florida tight end is especially proud of. Even the thought of being a top-five pick.
"It's crazy, but you know when the chips fall they fall, and God-willing I am a top-five pick or a top-ten pick, then that would be something amazing for myself, and it's only up from there."
Pitts will be in attendance at the 2021 NFL Draft, and he will certainty sport a "nice" suit. But, what he was able to prove at his Pro Day, that's something he will always remember, and something that he hopes he can look back on, training with elite talents such as Penn State's Michah Parsons, Ohio State's Justin Fields and South Carolina's Jaycee Horn.
But, for now, he will continue training, looking forward to the draft, something that is certainly going to be "special."
"I can't even tell you how it's going to go. I feel like I'll have no appetite, but it will just be something special. I'll just let it come to me."