[jwplayer aAOfBp0y]
While much of the debate around what the Cincinnati Bengals will do with the fifth pick in the 2021 NFL draft centers on which offensive lineman they will take, there is another option:
Add an elite weapon for Joe Burrow.
Said elite weapon’s name is Kyle Pitts, a tight end from Florida whose upside is so great that some experts don’t mind classifying it as “generational.”
One such expert just gave the Bengals Pitts in his new mock draft. Here’s NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein:
“I understand the Bengals need offensive line help, but they also have the 38th overall pick and loads of cap space to address that area. Pitts has a chance to be a generational talent and a relentless nightmare for opposing defenses.”
And that’s the rub, right? The Bengals have plenty of cap space to fix the offensive line in free agency. The NFL salary cap could be even higher than expected, too.
In a recent column, we explained that Pitts is the reason the Bengals need to spend big in free agency so that they don’t have to take a lineman at five (besides the fact the team drafts poorly when it has to draft for need, anyway).
Pitts, a 6’6″ weapon who scored 12 times in eight games last year, is going in the top 10 either way. Put him on an offense with Joe Burrow and move him around to create mismatches while defenses also have to worry about Joe Mixon, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins and…it’s a scary thought for the AFC North.
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