What Florida Gators TE Kyle Pitts Will Bring to His NFL Team
Kyle Pitts is whatever hyperbolic label you want to give him. A unicorn, which Gators head coach Dan Mullen coined last year. An alien or specimen made in a lab, monikers that draft pundits offer to historically athletic prospects. He's easy to anthropomorphize because, quite frankly, no one has ever seen someone quite like Pitts at the tight end position.
We're launching a final series on Florida's 2021 NFL Draft prospects before the upcoming selection ceremony, providing something like a scouting report for each notable former Gator who could hear their name called. Who else could we start with, other than Kyle Pitts?
Before he even tested at UF's pro day, we believed Pitts was worth a top-five selection. His production and on-field talent were undeniable over his two years as a starter in the Florida Gators' offense, and his growth from sophomore to junior was remarkable and is honestly not talked about enough.
For starters, if one were solely to watch Pitts' 2020 film, they'd think he never dropped a pass in his life. That isn't true: He dropped four passes across 80 targets, catching 54, during the 2019 season - far from an issue, and often forgotten about as Pitts makes up for missed catches with highlight-reel grabs.
But across 65 targets in 2020, Pitts caught 43 passes and dropped zero. 39 of those 43 receptions ended in either a first down or touchdown.
Pitts is impressively agile for a player of his size as well, although his straight-line speed and 4.44 40-yard-dash will certainly catch everyone's eyes. His footwork is sharp and nimble through route releases and as he breaks into his routes, which allows him to separate from the best press coverage cornerbacks and safeties that he faced. South Carolina's Jaycee Horn comes to mind from Florida's second game of the 2020 season as Pitts caught three passes including a toe-tapper down the field against the first-round cornerback prospect.
Pitts has proven this route-running ability both in-line as a true tight end and while flexed out wide and into the slot. There are concerns about Pitts's strength as a blocker that we will address later, but that isn't an issue when Pitts releases into routes after putting his hand in the dirt.
Immense length allows Pitts to knock away the hands of defenders at the snap and stretch into his route with long strides. He's strong enough to absorb contact at the line as he releases off of the line. Pitts keeps his feet underneath him as he breaks his hips down and can swiftly change direction to cut horizontally and diagonally.
That same length, paired with his leaping ability both vertically and outward makes Pitts a contested-catch magnet that even the longest and most-skilled boundary defenders in the NFL will have a hard time covering. Pitts's wingspan is the longest in recorded history among tight ends by over half an inch.
And, of course, that type of receiving skillset is a serious matchup problem for linebackers, even as the position has advanced to become more coverage-savvy in the pros.
Any team that selects Kyle Pitts in the upcoming draft will receive a bonafide pass-catching star and athletic freak. Although it was obvious before pro day, his results and their rankings among tight ends in the modern draft era speak for themselves.
Kyle Pitts's pro day results, with percentiles for results among tight ends dating from 1999-2021. The majority of MockDraftable's profiles are from the annual NFL Combine with occasional pro day results, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2021 NFL Combine was effectively canceled.
MockDraftable.com
At tight end, blocking surely is an important skill-set and that is where Pitts falls short as a prospect. Much like he did as a receiver, Pitts improved in the blocking department in 2020 compared to 2019, though. Pitts's rare athleticism suggests that he could add some weight without losing any receiving skills, which would allow him to better handle defensive ends and rushing outside linebackers at the next level.
Pitts displays plenty of effort as a blocker and won't even turn 21 years old until the 2021 NFL season is underway. Pitts offers the bending ability to obtain leverage at the point of attack, he's just got to get stronger to consistently drive defenders out of rushing lanes. He's far from maxed out as a blocker and the right position coach can make him even better as an all-around in-line tight end at the next level.
The 2021 NFL Draft could basically start when Pitts is selected, in my opinion. It is safe to assume the first three selections will be quarterbacks after San Francisco moved up to third overall, practically vocalizing that they will take a quarterback without officially saying it. Atlanta could be wise to draft Pitts to add to its already-star-studded passing offense if the Falcons remain at No. 4, but a team could move up to that spot for a signal-caller as well.
Next up are the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 5 and the Miami Dolphins at No. 6. Both Bengals QB Joe Burrow and Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa could desperately utilize a weapon like Pitts, so it's hard to imagine him falling beyond the top six. Odds are, he'll be the first non-quarterback off the board come April 29.
