Falcons draft TE Kyle Pitts with No. 4 pick

Florida tight end Kyle Pitts had a sensational junior season in Gainesville and decided to come out of school a year early to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL. Now, that dream is a reality after the Atlanta Falcons selected him with the No. 4 pick in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Pitts was an above average tight end during his freshman and sophomore campaign’s but his 2020 season allowed him to skyrocket up draft boards to become the top tight end in the class. In his final season in Gainesville, Pitts played in just eight games, but set new career highs in yards and touchdowns.

During the condensed season he scored 12 touchdowns and racked up 770 receiving yards. He averaged over 15 yards per reception as well and finished in the top 10 of Heisman voting.

Scouting Report

Pitts is a quarterbacks best friend, and can haul in virtually anything that’s thrown even remotely in his vicinity. He dropped just four passes during his sophomore season and in his junior year he didn’t drop a single one.

His route running is impeccable and with his 6-foot-6, 264 pound frame, there’s been talk of him shifting over to wide receiver thanks to his fantastic hands and ability to make contested catches. The position shift has also been talked about because he has shown some issues as a blocker. He’s not a liability by any means, but it’s definitely something he’ll need to work on if he intends to be more than a pass-catcher at the professional level. Still, Pitts is widely considered one of the biggest can’t-miss prospects in quite some time and will be a huge asset to the Falcons.

Fantasy football impact

Rookie

The Falcons bolstered their offense with the selection of former Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts. He was rated as one of the best offensive players in this draft class outside of the top quarterbacks. Pitts is going into an Atlanta offense that is very pass happy and has multiple weapons on the outside in wide receivers Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley.

Pitts will likely be featured in two tight end sets with Hayden Hurst, but can also be split outside. The 2020 Mackey Award winner should be selected in the late rounds of fantasy football drafts and could be a top-15 TE1 as a rookie.

Long-term

In regards to the long-term fantasy impact, Pitts will usurp Hurst as the Falcons’ top tight end and should establish himself as a weekly TE1 play. With Jones and Ridley still a part of the offense, Pitts will have his pickings of matchups and could see a lot of red zone scores.