No Need for Eagles to Overthink it: Just Take Kyle Pitts
PHILADELPHIA — He has been called a generational talent, a description thrown around too often these days, but in the case of University of Florida product Kyle Pitts, it fits.
So, when the Eagles arrive on the clock with the sixth overall pick on April 29, they need to forget about taking a quarterback, ignore the pang to find a cornerback, and dismiss any notion of trading back.
Simply put, don't overthink it. Take Pitts.
Yes, he's a tight end and positional value is primarily the fear fans have when discussing using the sixth pick on Pitts. "Oh, he's just a tight end," is the chorus of many, but he's more than that.
Pitts is an athletic freak.
At 6-6, 240 pounds he posted a social media clip showing him running a 4.46 in the 40-yard dash. He can be flexed out wide more often than not, and even NFL draft expert Daniel Jeremiah said that's what he would do with him, choosing to rarely use him as an in-line blocker in the traditional tight end mold.
Pitts has honed his game during the weekly trials and tribulations presented by the SEC, beating top cornerbacks such as Alabama's Patrick Surtain and Georgia's Eric Stokes and Tyson Campbell, and his 2020 season was elite, with 65 targets, 43 receptions for 770 receiving yards (17.9 yards-per-catch average), zero drops, and 12 touchdowns.
Pitts' athletic ability makes Florida's pro day on Wednesday must-watch TV on the NFL Network (11 a.m.), with teammates Kadarius Toney and Kyle Trask scheduled to drill as well.
The Eagles love players who have a passion for the game, and Pitts has it, according to his high school coach, Steve Devlin.
“Kyle is one of the hardest working people I have ever coached or ever been around,” Devlin told SI.com's Eagle Maven. “His desire to not only be great but the best at his position separates him from everyone.”
“He will bring that attitude to the NFL and show his skills at the professional level. I expect Kyle to be what he always been at every level he has played — great.”
Devlin witnessed Pitt's work ethic at Archbishop Wood High School just on the outskirts of Philadelphia.
Pitts was a dominant defensive end on a Wood team that won a state title, but there wasn't much need to involve him in the passing game, not with a dominant offensive line and running game. Perhaps the biggest impression Pitts made, according to Devlin, was with his character.
“Kyle is a great teammate in the locker room. He always will out the team first in everything he does,” said Devlin, now the defensice coordiantor at Ursinus College. “He leads by example along with his tireless work ethic to be the best player he can be for his teammates.”
Perhaps there is reason for skepticism in taking Pitts because the Eagles possess a 26-year-old tight end on the roster in Dallas Goedert, but there has yet to be any resolution on a future destination for Zach Ertz and, once Ertz goes, Goedert will need a new running mate.
Even more than just Goedert needing someone, the Eagles as a team need a young, franchise-altering piece for first-year head coach Nick Sirianni and his new staff.
The question that fans should ask, rather than questioning if Pitts would be worth selecting with the sixth pick, is can Sirianni maximize Pitts’s unorthodox skill set for him to become a franchise cornerstone?
The answer may lie in the coach’s first season as the Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator.
Eric Ebron, who Pitts coincidentally drew comparisons to and was a former top-ten pick that’s failed to stay consistent, signed with the Colts during the 2018 offseason, Sirianni’s first season with the team.
As the first-year offensive coordinator rejoined his mentor and former Eagles offensive coordinator, Frank Reich, on Indianapolis’ coaching staff, the unit leaned on 12 personnel packages, similar to what Reich was accustomed to having in Philadelphia.
Colts’ quarterback Andrew Luck grew to utilize his tight ends as weapons in the offense, and Ebron was a substantial benefactor. The tight end enjoyed the best season of his career while being targeted 110 times for 66 receptions, 750 yards, 11.4 yards per reception, 13 touchdowns, and a passer rating of 110 when targeted.
According to Pro Football Focus, Ebron lined up wide for 87 snaps (17.5 percent) in 2018 while spending 287 snaps in the slot at a 61.8 slot percentage rate. Both career-highs in snaps at receiver still to this day for the tight end.
The tight end only played 11 games the following season, but Ebron’s body of work still showed in the slot (144 snaps) and out wide (47 snaps) despite missing five games.
Pitts routinely showcased his ability to win on the outside against press coverage during his time at Florida. The tight end would be a first-rounder if he made a full-time transition to wide receiver entering the draft.
Pitts averaged 4.91 yards per route versus man coverage this past season, which was the third-highest of any college football player. That shows you how insanely different Pitts is in receiving talent for a player of his position.
According to PFF, Pitts lined up out wide (16.8 percent of his snaps and at the slot position (67 snaps), 19.3 percent of his 278 passing snaps in 2020.
Yes, everyone that talks about Pitts’ ability to play the boundary in the NFL at a consistent level are a projection, with his receiver snaps sparse at Florida compared to what the NFL will likely require from him.
Given what Sirianni and Reich accomplished with Ebron in Indianapolis, that should give Philadelphia fans an optimistic outlook for what the Eagles head coach could achieve with Pitts, whose ceiling overall is much higher than Ebron’s.
Would he solve all of the Eagles’ issues at one of their weakest position groups on the roster at wide receiver?
No, not entirely, but he’d provide the group with a matchup advantage to be deployed at the X and Y receiver spots.
Pitts checks too many boxes to not be considered a potential cornerstone of the franchise for years to come and it's enough to warrant considering taking the tight end with the sixth pick.
It's up to the Eagles now not to overthink it.
Conor Myles is a contributor for Sports Illustrated’s Eagle Maven. Listen to Conor and Ed on Eagles Brawl available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and RADIO.com. Reach Conor at ConorMylesSI@gmail.com or Twitter: @ConorMylesNFL
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s EagleMaven. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
