Kyle Pitts has been a topic of discussion this season mainly for his lack of significant production compared to his draft overall, his rookie season, other TE’s in general, etc. So my question to you guys is what do you think Pitts will end up being on the Falcons: do you think he’s falling short due to Arthur’s Smith awful play calling and the generally terrible offense or could Pitts end up being a bust? Or do you think the truth is somewhere in the middle?
If he could actually play TE then it would be an amazing pick. Unfortunately he plays more like a WR and is weak at blocking and gaining tough yardage, and every other role a TE is expected to fill except catching balls.
Since he’s basically a WR we should really be comparing him to other receivers drafted at that level. Julio Jones, Calvin Johnson, AJ Green, Randy Moss, Justin Jefferson, etc. Would you take Kyle Pitts over any of those receivers?
They marketed him as a unicorn (can play multiple spots great) but he’s actually a tweener (jack of all trades, but great at none).
Best used as a receiver in slot and out wide - watch rookie highlights. He is very bad inline and that ruins ability to execute plays off of TE blocks, TE rub routes, and other TE routes designed to threaten the defense. He just hasn’t shown he can do those.
Arthur Smith needs to give up the charade of trying to make Pitts a TE. Pitts has failed as a tight end. He’s not a unicorn, he’s an overwized receiver. And now he may not be fully healthy - I think either the injury was more serious than advertised or the surgery/ healing was not 100% successful. He doesn’t seem to have the same stride as pre injury and maybe that’s why Arthur Smith has played him less on receiver routes.
Also, the 2021 old man version of Matt Ryan was leaps and bounds better than Mariota, Ridder, and Heinicke. Put Pitts at WR like he basically was in rookie yr and hope he’s healthy enough to play it.