The Atlanta Falcons looked to be focusing on talent over need with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, selecting tight end Kyle Pitts out of the University of Florida. But now that Julio Jones is out of the picture, the decision to draft Pitts makes a lot more sense.
Atlanta will look to the 6-foot-6, 245-pound rookie to help carry the load offensively, with Calvin Ridley stepping in as the team’s No. 1 receiver.
Aside from Ridley, Pitts is currently learning from other NFL greats as he attends the Tight End University summit, a three-day event in Nashville created by Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Greg Olsen. Pitts joined a huge list of veteran players from around the league at the start of the summit on Wednesday.
That's a whole lot of tight end talent in one room. 🤯
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) June 24, 2021
(@te_university) pic.twitter.com/pQ0TDQzCJN
@kylepitts__ in the building ✅#uniTE #TEU pic.twitter.com/SrFRsnafy5
— TEU (@te_university) June 23, 2021
Class is in session. 🎓📚✏️ #uniTE #TEU pic.twitter.com/QrcGEja1m3
— TEU (@te_university) June 24, 2021
Pitts projects to be the next great receiving tight end, but the expectation for him to be an instant-impact player may be slightly unrealistic. First-year tight ends have struggled historically and the position generally takes a few years to get acclimated to the NFL.
At the same time, once you see the potential matchup nightmare the rookie presents — particularly in the red zone — it’s easy to get carried away with Pitts’ upside.
The Tight End University summit wraps up on Friday.
