With the fourth pick in the NFL draft, the Falcons selected former Florida tight end Kyle Pitts on Thursday.
It was the first pick of a new era for the team with new general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith collaborating on the selection.
With Pitts the Falcons picked another weapon for the offense and quarterback Matt Ryan. The elected not to select their quarterback of the future.
Pitts is a special NFL prospect who blends size, speed and graceful athletic ability of a much smaller man. Florida coach Dan Mullen describe Pitts as a “unicorn” during the pre-draft process.
In part, that explains why the Falcons heavily scouted Pitts.
Falcons coach Arthur Smith attended Florida’s Pro Day and met face to face with Pitts. Smith came up in the NFL coaching tight ends in Tennessee, first under Mike Mularkey before he took over.
As offensive coordinator, Smith heavily featured the tight ends. Last season, four different tight ends played more than 200 snaps for the Titans and helped pave the way for running back Derrick Henry’s 2,000-yard season.
The Falcons have Hayden Hurst, Jaeden Graham and traded for blocking tight end Lee Smith this offseason. In Arthur Smith’s attack, there is plenty of room for another tight end.
Jacksonville, the New York Jets and San Francisco picked in front of the Falcons. They are took quarterbacks. At No. 4, the Falcons used their shot to take the No. 1 overall position player.
“It would be a dream come true to even be top five or the first non-quarterback to come off the board,” said Pitts recently. “That’s something that I look forward to in the draft.”
Pitts finished his career at Florida with 100 catches for 1,492 yards (14.9 average) and 18 touchdowns. He became Florida’s all-time leader for receiving yards by a tight end and ranked second in career receptions at the position.
Back to the unicorn description. Mullen tried to explain.
“If you don’t have one on defense, you’ve got problems,” Mullen said. “If you’re going to put a corner on him, here’s this 6-6, 245-pound guy. ... If you’re going to match a linebacker on him, then he goes and flexes out. The ability to move him around. ... You have this piece that you can move around and create a matchup advantage against most defenses that you play.”
Pitts started his career at Florida working with the receivers and learned how to run routes. He’s a willing blocker when he’s on the line.
“I think his ability to create matchup problems is key,” Mullen said. “I think he’s an elite wide receiver, and I think he’s an elite tight end. When you are that, that’s what causes the problems.”
The Falcons, who have a need along the offensive line and could have taken Oregon tackle Penei Sewell.
Pitts doesn’t like comparing himself with NFL tight ends.
“Jimmy Graham, he was one of a kind,” Pitts said. “There are a lot of tight ends like him now. (Kansas City’s) Travis Kelce and (San Francisco’s) George Kittle are being utilized in very different positions.”
Some compare Pitts with former Georgia Tech standout Darren Waller, who’s blossomed with the Raiders over the past two seasons.
“I have watched a lot of Darren Waller film,” Pitts said. “That is someone that I feel like we have similar body structure and similar playing styles. That is someone that I like to take parts of his game and add it (to mine).”
More on that unicorn analogy.
Pitts has a longer wingspan – 83-3/8 inches -- than any wide receiver or tight end in the NFL over the past 20 years.
“With my wingspan, that gives me an advantage versus people, (defensive backs) that maybe have shorter arms,” Pitts said. “That gives me the chance to go up and make a great play.”
While Pitts’ skills as a receiver are elite, his blocking will need some work.
“I would say my weaknesses is hand placement in the run game,” Pitts said. “I try to keep my hands inside to help me out in the run game as well.”
He said that no team has mentioned him playing wide receiver.
“But they have mentioned utilizing me in different areas,” Pitts said. “Not just specifically receiver.”
Pitts believes he could fit in with the Falcons. Teams are not taking a player in the top 10 to be a backup tight end. However, the Falcons can also play from two-tight-end formations.
“That could cause a lot of problems because you would have two great tight ends who can run routes, block,” Pitts said. “So, that makes it kind of hard for the defense to scheme it up. But when you use two tight ends who can do different things in different areas, that’s something that is kind of difficult for a defense to guard.”
In high school in Philadelphia, Pitts started his career as a quarterback, but he said he wasn’t very good at the position.
“Actually quarterback was never my thing,” Pitts said. “... I ran option occasionally, naked (bootlegs), I was running it. I wasn’t throwing it.”
After consulting with his father, he transferred and moved to tight end.
Then-Temple coach Matt Rhule offered him a scholarship in the 10th grade. Rhule is now the Carolina Panthers’ head coach. Pittsburgh and Penn State started recruiting Pitts, too.
“I started to get national exposure, and that was when I found a love for it around that time,” Pitts said.
