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The New York Giants hold the 11th overall selection in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, which is scheduled to be held in Cleveland from April 29-May 1.
There are many who are predicting who — or what — the Giants will use that pick on but most agree that an offensive playmaker is their biggest need after finishing 31st in the NFL in total offense this year.
Pro Football Focus, in their latest mock draft, have the Giants selecting Florida tight end Kyle Pitts at No. 11.
Pitts generated a 96.2 PFF grade this year, more than five grading points higher than any other tight end and well above the previous record set by former FAU Owl and now-Cleveland Brown Harrison Bryant in 2019 (92.5). The Giants receiving corps was one of the worst in the NFL in 2020 — the selection of Pitts goes a long way toward changing that.
The versatile tight end played just shy of 64% of his offensive snaps inline, but he dominated unlike any other tight end we had ever seen when he lined up out wide in single coverage. Pitts went toe-to-toe with press coverage when lined up out wide for 40 receiving snaps this season and came away with seven explosive receptions of 15-plus yards on those opportunities. We have never seen a tight end record more than two of those in a single year before Pitts this season.
Interesting. The NFL has become a tight end league. No team can really succeed on offense without a pass-catcher at the position. Last year’s two Super Bowl participants — Kansas City and San Francisco — both had Pro Bowl tight ends on their roster (Travis Kelce, George Kittle).
The Giants also have a Pro Bowl tight end on their roster in Evan Engram, but for all of the plays that he’s made, he has equally frustrated the team with dropped passes, injuries and inconsistent play.
Pitts is 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds and caught 43 passes for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns this season for Florida. He was named a First Team All-American and was the recipient of the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end.
The Giants’ selection of Pitts would surely mean their relationship with Engram is coming to a close. He will be entering his fifth season with the Giants and will carry a cap hit of $6.013 million. It is very possible the Giants deal Engram this offseason as he has fallen out of favor with many fans.
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