Falcons rookie Kyle Pitts named one of NFL’s top 11 tight ends

Every now and then, players enter the draft with so much potential that the hype around them gets out of hand. Falcons rookie Kyle Pitts is generating a good amount of buzz as we get closer to the 2021 regular season. While it isn’t quite LeBron James-level hype, Pitts’ combination of size (6-foot-6, 250 pounds) and speed (4.44 40-yard dash time) makes both scouts and analysts drool.

A few days ago, we looked at a feature by Panthers Wire ranking the division’s best tight ends and Pitts was ranked first. Now, Touchdown Wire is doing its part to drive the Pitts bandwagon. In a feature by TD Wire’s Mark Schofield breaking down the NFL’s top 11 tight ends, Pitts just barely made the cut at No. 11.

In the run-up to the 2021 NFL draft a number of different ways were used to describe then-Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts. “Matchup nightmare” was a common expression, as was “unicorn.” “Generational talent” was also a phrase used from time to time in articles about the tight end.

To be fair, I was among those gassing up Pitts’ as a top player in the class. Pitts made both my Top 11 tight end rankings prior to the draft as well as cracking the top five in the list of wide receivers.

Due to salary cap limitations, the Falcons were somewhat forced to trade Julio Jones, but Pitts’ acquisition undoubtedly made the decision easier for general manager Terry Fontenot. Atlanta won’t have to rely on Pitts to replace Jones just yet, though, with Calvin Ridley sliding into the team’s No. 1 WR spot.

But is it too soon to put Pitts this high over more established players? Schofield addresses this, noting that his talent should put him among the NFL’s elite sooner rather than later.

He may end up as one of the NFL’s top tight ends before long. Maybe before Halloween even. But until he plays a snap, it is hard to move him much higher than those who have come before him and actually played in the league. The talent is there, to be sure, but let’s give the rookie a game before we lose our minds more than we already have.

As talented as he may be, rookie tight ends do tend to struggle in the NFL. Pitts was more than just a great talent in the minds of the fans, however, he represents a message that the team is trying to win now.

Pitts signed his rookie deal last week, meaning Atlanta’s entire 2021 draft class is under contract.