ESPN reporter explains why some coaches and scouts don't think trading up for Kyle Pitts is smart
One of the top players in the 2021 NFL Draft class is Florida TE Kyle Pitts. He’s considered a can’t-miss prospect, but since the NFL is a QB-driven league, it’ll be interesting to see if teams trade up for him or not.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is reportedly “infatuated” with Pitts, but the Cowboys don’t pick until No. 10 overall.
On NFL Live on ESPN on Tuesday afternoon, ESPN reporter Dianna Russini said some head coaches and scouts around the NFL don’t think it would make sense to trade up for Pitts (via 247Sports):
“In terms of big picture, I reached out to some older head coaches, GMs and one older scout as well over the last two hours, just to get an idea about his value,” Russini said. “Is he worth, perhaps, the Dolphins theoretically trading up, giving up those picks for a player like this? Is he that good? And most of the feedback I got was, ‘yes, he’s a really good player, but I don’t think he’d be worth that.’ We’re not talking about the best tight end to ever come out of a draft. He’s just going to be a good player quickly.
“He’s quickly going to transition from college to the NFL with ease. And really, his ability to play as a receiver, a pass-catcher, that’s what really stood out in some of the conversations I had. So, while I think it’s great that we can sit here all day and sing the praises of him, I think it’d have to be measured of how willing a team would be to go to get a player like Kyle Pitts. And it seems it would probably be a little foolish for the Dolphins to give up that much for a tight end.”
Mel Kiper Jr. has the Miami Dolphins trading up from No. 6 to No. 4 in the first round to pick Pitts. But, it’s clear Russini has talked to some folks around the league who don’t think that would be wise.
We’ll see what happens on Thursday, April 29, in Cleveland!
We’re not talking about the best tight end to ever come out of a draft?!?!
Geez man, that would cover a lot of ground…back to Dave Casper Ozzie Newsome and a lot of great ones in between.
ha. Kellen Winslow. Tony Gonzales.
Dave Casper didn’t even play much tight end in college, amassed 21 total receptions, was a second round pick. Ozzie Newsome was a wide receiver in college, the number 23 pick and Pitts actually holds up ok against his stats which is ridiculous. Kellen Winslow is a better comparison but Pitts has double the touchdowns and higher yards per catch. Pitts has more catches more tds and more yards per catch than Tony Gonzalez. Pitts also only got to play 6 (?) games in his last year. I know you can’t really compare athletes over long spans of time as the game changes. However statistically speaking, Pitts looks like the best TE to come out of a draft.
Ah, okay. I’m totally convinced. Pitts is the best tight end to ever come out of a draft! But obviously, you have a lot of others to convince.
Go ahead and find me some stats of a better player coming into the draft and we can have a reasonable discussion. All the guys put forth fell short
@Gatorgrad……..He’s not a TE but it depends on what you need. I would argue that D Smith from Alabama is better!!!! Possibly even J Waddle.
At running back in the pro’s I’ll take N Harris as an equal to maybe better overall player. He has power to run over you. He has breakaway speed. He has a little wiggle. He pass protects and is like having another elite wide receiver on the field!!!!
N Harris could have chosen to play wide receiver in high school and would have been a 5 star! Probably would have developed into a big-time playmaker even at wide receiver!!!! He seems very durable.
As far as non QBs go. N Harris is as valuable as they come. He can do so many things!!!! But I wouldn’t feel ripped off either way honestly. Pitts is going to be a great one if he stays healthy!!!! I could see the falcons grabbing him as another big play weapon for Matt Ryan. That would give us Kyle Pitts, Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley all on the same team!!!! Then in the second round. We pickup an elite running back. Maybe even N Harris???? Or maybe a big defensive tackle or pass rusher. Possibly an elite DB. One of the better QBs could fall to round #2. But I’m here to tell you. If I’m choosing between Trask or N Harris I’m going with Harris!!!! I’m not sold on Trask.
I believe Atlanta still picks at #4. That puts a lot of great players in our reach. Game changers. Pitts or Harris. That would be nice. But if I know Atlanta. Even if we draft at #4. And Pitts or Harris and even D Smith was still available. Heck even if Trevor Lawrence fell to #4.
You’ll probably hear. With the 4th pick in the draft. Atlanta selects Tim Jefferson kicker from west Texas valley state or some school like it that I’ve never heard of!!!! That or Atlanta picks offensive lineman Steven Cow from Parker valley college. Then they say. Well he’s 6 foot 3 and weighs 265 but he had a great college career. But he’s clearly a project at best. It’s a mystery why the falcons did this? Then they’ll get a D or an F for their draft grade!
When asked why didn’t they draft Trevor Lawrence? They would say. We believe in Matty Ice! Why didn’t you draft a player you know will be great? We think Jenkins will be great one day. Then the reporter says. But you drafted Jefferson not Jenkins!!! They would probably say. Oh? With a blank look!!! Then say what position again? Reporter answers kicker. Then they say yea we need a kicker!!!!
I think we draft #4. But I would gladly move back to #6 if we got that pick plus a bunch of other picks!!!! For all I know Atlanta may have already traded backwards without getting much! For once I wish Atlanta would have an A+ draft!!!! And miraculously some of those former #1 picks could actually blossom!!!! But if the coach is any indication? I dunno. He hired a career running back coach as a QB coach. I just don’t get it????? I hope I’m wrong about him and the draft.
PS. But I won’t be holding my breath!!!! LOL
Negan
Megan, he asked for stats and you present zero. You also randomly start ogling over Bama players and in a discussion about Pitts you bring up Harris for God knows what reason when he isn’t expected to go until the second round. And you follow that up with an even more head scratching Harris v Trask remark. Either get off the meds or start taking the right doses, my guy.
Couldn’t finish reading your unbearable, nonsensical rant. I never can.
You say you can’t compare athletes over long spans of times and then use stats to confirm your argument. Comparing receiving stats for a tightened today to someone in the 70’s is pretty unfair. Pitts might be the best pass catching TE to come out of the draft. To say he is the best TE ever conveniently forgets that blocking is part of the job also. Can’t be the best if you only do 1/2 the job the best.
I know that TEs are utilized different in this day. But if I’m not going to compare stats then I dunno how else you would compare them. Pitts is an exceptional blocker. No one has called that out as a weakness. He’s going higher in the draft than practically any TE ever. Just think it’s funny that hammers and dawgs are scoffing at the idea of him being the best when he has the best case stat wise and possibly in measurables. QBs in the 70s were far different as well. The game is more complex, they grow up learning the game now, it’s treated as their job, there’s trainers and nutritionists etc etc. I’m still not taking any QB from the 70s over Burrow or Mac. Might not be fair but it is what it is. You taking a sprinter from the 80s over Bolt?
Gatorgrad: nice post. Extremely reasonable and valid reasons to support opinion. I could be wrong but I thought I read where Pitts had improved as a blocker but wasn’t great at it. I should say that I am impressed with Pitts and think he is going to have a long successful career.
No TE has ever gone in the top 5. Pitts has to be a serious consideration for Cincy, so if Miami really wants him, they will have to trade up to ensure they get him. Cincy is in a good spot because they really need an OT, TE, and WR, and two of the best at their positions should be available for them when they get on the clock.
1960 a TE was the first overall pick. Ditka was #5 and hes a HOFer, as was Riley Odoms in 72.
You’re right about Ditka. Not sure how the article I read missed him. I’m not sure what you’re referring to about the 1960 draft. Billy Cannon went first. He wasn’t a TE.
Cannon played RB in college but was drafted as a TE and played TE in the NFL. He is listed as a TE in all 1961 draft lists.
No he wasn’t. He was a running back his entire time at Houston. He was a running back, then a fullback, and then finally a TE with the Raiders. Even his rookie card lists him as a halfback. He led the team in rushing his rookie season and the entire league his second.
There’s a first for everything.
The things that are so interesting about Pitts, compared to guys like Kellen Winslow and Tony Gonzalez, are that he is a bit faster and has more catch radius. But he still has to get to the NFL and produce the numbers.
There’s usually a lot of recency bias in “greatest ever” comments, when applied to current players. But is the raw potential there? Absolutely.
Pitts has no guarantee to be half the TE that guys like Winslow and Gonzalez were in the NFL. But if you’re having an all-time college draft where the players magically could not progress beyond their college selves, I don’t see how Pitts isn’t the first off the board.
You have 3 choices. A blocking TE, a receiving TE or someone like Winslow or Gonzalez who did both extremely well. That’s how I see Pitts not coming first off the board. Blocking is an important role as a tightened.
Well, do you have evidence that Pitts is a worse blocker than either of the two. Or a worse enough blocker to offset him being far better on the receiving end?
The same evidence that you have to say he isn’t. PFF gave him an respectable blocking grade of 69.9 with a 96.2 for receiving. Highest receiving grade ever. According to them his blocking has been average. Fine in the college game but a work in progress for the pros. I’ve read the same thing on other sites as well.
That was his PFF score over his three total years. I’ve read and it would be expected that he improved greatly in his last year. What was the PFF score of those other TEs? I don’t know that information exists. His receiving PFF score is off the charts. Having said all that I dunno that PFF is gospel. Maybe it is
I wish the Falcons would draft him. But it’s not looking that way. I hate Gators, but that dude is a stud.