In the third instalment of my prospect breakdown series I’m looking at Florida tight end Kyle Pitts. Pitts is coming off an excellent junior season that saw him rack up 770 yards and 12 touchdowns in just eight games. He won the Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end, and was the first tight end to ever feature as a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given to college football’s standout receiver. If positional value was not a factor, Pitts would be a top three player on my 2021 Big Board.
You can read more of my 2021 NFL Draft content here.
Hands
Pitts has easily some of the best hands in the 2021 draft class. He showed real improvement this season and did not have a single drop on his 43 catchable targets. What makes this all the more impressive is that Pitts wasn’t being used like a traditional tight end. His average depth of target this season was 13.8 yards downfield. For context, the likes of Pat Freiermuth and Brevin Jordan were at 9.4 and 8.2 yards respectively. Pitts actually ranked 10th amongst all draft eligible skill players in average depth of target. He was also one of only five players in college football to have 50+ targets and no drops.
This catch against Missouri isn’t the most spectacular play you will see, but speaks to Pitts’ ability as a receiver. Kyle Trask gets the ball out, but the placement isn’t great. His throw is behind Pitts, who is forced to make an adjustment mid-route. This isn’t an easy reception to make, but Pitts makes it look routine. The fact he does this without even breaking stride makes it all the more impressive.
When it comes to his catch radius, Pitts has no problem making catches outside his frame. The clip below against Tennessee is the perfect example of this. Tennessee’s corner does a great job sticking with Pitts downfield and Kyle Trask puts the ball in a spot where only his receiver can make a play on the ball. The ball comes out fast though, and it is a really difficult grab for Pitts to make. He showcases excellent body control to high point the ball and come down with his feet in bounds. This is the kind of play that would be impressive from a receiver, let alone a tight end.
Route running
This is one of the traits that separates Pitts from the other tight ends in this class. His route running is elite for a tight end and he moves much more like a receiver in space. Florida utilised him on a wide array of concepts and he is comfortable lining up anywhere in the formation. He has experience running a wide variety of routes and this will be prized at the next level. There are very few players at Pitts’ size who can move so well downfield.
The clip below is one of my favourite Pitts highlights from the 2020 season. In it he is facing off against Kentucky cornerback Kelvin Joseph, who has been earning some first round hype himself. What makes this play so special is the way that Pitts manipulates Joseph with his route running. He does an excellent job of selling the fade route to the boundary, forcing Joseph to turn his hips. He then puts his foot in the ground, switching direction without sacrificing any speed. The fact that he keeps stride with Joseph (who should run a 4.4 40-yard dash) speaks to just how much of an athletic freak Pitts is for a tight end too.
The next clip is also from the Kentucky game. This time the Gators are in a goal-to-go situation, with Pitts lined up in the slot on the weak side of the formation. Kentucky are in man coverage this time and Pitts does a great job running a whip route to create separation from the cornerback. It is difficult to overstate how impressive this is. Most tight ends offer a receiving threat, but very few are able to create legitimate separation against a defensive back in man coverage.
Athleticism
Along with his route running, Pitts’ athleticism is what makes him such a rare prospect at the tight end position. He possesses legitimate long speed and can threaten defenses over the top. There are a handful of reps where he is able to able to run away from defensive backs with no real problem at all. This makes Pitts the ultimate mismatch weapon in any offense. He is too big and physical at the catch point for most corners, but he has far too much speed to be left one-on-one with a linebacker.
The clip below is from the game against Alabama this season. Pitts lines up in the slot, with Alabama playing man coverage. He is matched up against Malachi Moore (#13), Alabama’s standout true freshman cornerback. Pitts manages to create some separation and his athleticism shines after the catch. Pitts averaged an impressive six yards after the catch this season and with plays like this it is easy to see why.
The next play was Pitts’ longest reception of the season and is another great example of what he can do in the open field. He benefits from a coverage bust in the Ole Miss secondary but separates with ease against the linebacker Jacquez Jones (#32). The ball is slightly underthrown by Trask but Pitts adjusts and then turns on the burners, outrunning the Ole Miss defense.
Physicality
Physicality is the bread and butter of the tight end position and players won’t last in the NFL without it. Whilst Pitts isn’t the biggest tight end, he ticks the physicality box. He is comfortable in contested catch situations, and doesn’t mind dealing with contact downfield. This touchdown against Georgia was one of his best plays of the season. He is lined up out wide and faced with press coverage from Tyson Campbell (#3). Campbell sticks with him downfield and actually ends up drawing a flag for pass interference. This doesn’t stop Pitts making an excellent play on the ball and he showcases his great hands again by hauling it in.
One of the things you notice whilst watching Pitts is his ability to hold on to the ball through contact. There were multiple times where he would high point the ball and come down with it despite double coverage or a hard hit from a defender. This touchdown against Texas A&M is the perfect example of this.
If there is a criticism of Pitts’ physicality, it is his ability to break tackles after the catch. Whilst he has the athleticism to separate from defenders, you don’t often see him running through them and he isn’t particularly difficult to bring down. This could be more of an issue in the NFL, where defenders are bigger and stronger. Adding some more weight to his frame would help Pitts in this regard.
Blocking
Whilst tight ends are utilised as a jumbo receiver, blocking is still an important part of the position. Every team in the NFL will want their tight end to be comfortable playing in-line as a run blocker or pass protector. Right now, this is the one thing holding Pitts back from being the perfect tight end prospect. At just 239 lbs he is still on the smaller end of what you would expect from an NFL tight end and he isn’t the most comfortable as a blocker.
Pitts is certainly not a disaster as a blocker, but it is an area of his game that he needs to improve on. His technique isn’t particularly refined and clearly struggles to sustain his blocks. The play below is a fairly typical example of this. Florida are running an outside zone concept, meaning Pitts needs to get to the outside shoulder of Georgia’s Malik Herring (#10). He does a good job moving laterally, but can’t keep the block long enough for the play to develop. This allows Herring an easy opportunity to get to the ball-carrier and make the play. In fairness to Pitts, blocking a defensive end one-on-one is a tough task, but he could certainly do better.
Whilst he still isn’t quite there, it should be said that Pitts showed substantial improvement in his final year at Florida. There are some really good reps on tape that hint at his potential, including this play against Missouri. Florida are running a designed quarterback run with Kyle Trask. Pitts is assigned with down blocking Missouri’s defensive end Trajan Jeffcoat (#18) to open up a running lane for Trask. He showcases good hand usage and is able to create plenty of movement. Teams will just want to see more plays like this.
Bottom Line
Players like Pitts don’t come along very often. He offers the size and physicality of a tight end, with the route running and athletic ability of a receiver. He has experience lining up across the formation at Florida and has shown he can create separation against defensive backs, an incredibly rare trait at the position. Pitts isn’t the perfect prospect though. He is still a little undersized for an NFL tight end and could certainly stand to improve as a run blocker. That said, he is a generational talent at the position and is well worthy of a top ten pick.
