Could Kyle Pitts Be in Play for New York Giants?

Will the New York Giants draft Kyle Pitts with their first-round draft pick?

Author:
Kristian Dyer
Publish date:
Apr 27, 2021 12:24 PM EDT

Despite all the quarterback talk, Kyle Pitts remains one of the most interesting names in this NFL Draft class. The former Florida tight end will be the first player off the board in his position group.

The hype is justified as Pitts has created a bit of a stir and is likely to be a top-six selection next week, despite the fact that three quarterbacks are likely to be taken in the draft’s first five selections. With a tremendous wingspan that gives him an impressive catch radius, Pitts has the look of someone created in a football factory for a modern tight end.

Sitting at No. 11 and likely out of range of Pitts, New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman still raved about the tight end and his skillset ahead of next week’s draft.

“He’s a uniquely talented player. You can’t characterize him as just a receiving tight end because you watch him block and he’s got a lot of blocking grit, he’s got some nice fundamentals down and he’s certainly big enough,” Gettleman told reporters on Thursday.

“He’s a different breed of cat, now. He’s very talented.”

Because of his blend of size, speed and length, Pitts is a true red-zone threat. Last year, he had 43 catches for 770 yards with 12 touchdowns.

But before Giants fans get excited about adding a player like Pitts, it probably isn’t going to happen.

Even if Pitts tumbled down the draft board, a highly improbable scenario, it is unlikely that the Giants would select him at 11th overall. While Pitts is a true aerial threat, the Giants used their first-round pick in 2017 on tight end Evan Engram out of Ole Miss.

While Pitts is much more of a wide receiver than a true tight end in the throwback mold, the move still doesn’t make much sense for the Giants. Of course, this is all conjecture as Pitts simply won’t be there for the Giants at No. 11.

Last season, Engram had 63 catches for 654 yards and a receiving touchdown.

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