Kyle Pitts – Page 48 – Syndication Server

Two Gators appear in Mel Kiper’s first NFL mock draft of 2021

UF hasn’t had an offensive skill position player selected in the 1st round of the NFL draft since Tim Tebow in 2010; this year may have two.

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Brad McClenny/The Gainesville Sun via AP

Florida hasn’t had an offensive skill position player selected in the first round of the NFL draft since Tim Tebow in 2010. But this year, it’s looking like the Gators could have two.

In Mel Kiper’s first mock draft for 2021, he has two offensive UF players slotted to go in the first round: tight end Kyle Pitts and receiver Kadarius Toney. For Pitts, he’s currently projected to go at 11th overall to the New York Giants after a fantastic junior season that saw him finish 10th in Heisman voting.

11. New York Giants

Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida

Quarterback Daniel Jones cut down on his turnovers and showed some improvement in Year 2, but he still averaged only 6.6 yards per attempt. Even when he gets time to throw in the pocket, he doesn’t have a consistent downfield threat (though Darius Slayton was a nice fifth-round find in 2019). At 6-foot-6, Pitts has the size/speed traits to line up out wide, in the slot or next to an offensive tackle. And he showed off his ability after the catch by averaging 17.9 yards per reception with 12 touchdowns. Pitts is not a traditional tight end, but he’s a skilled offensive threat. And with Evan Engram on the roster, too, the Giants would have two of the most athletic — and versatile — tight ends in football.

The Giants are in desperate need of help in the receiving game, and a target like Pitts could do wonders in aiding his development.

NEXT: Florida’s second player projected in the first round

Pages: 12

Bengals insiders don’t see team taking Florida TE Kyle Pitts at No. 5

Would the Cincinnati Bengals take Kyle Pitts in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft?

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The Cincinnati Bengals could end up choosing to go the luxury route with the fifth pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

That luxury could be Florida tight end Kyle Pitts.

Pitts, a 6’6″ weapon who scored 12 times over eight games last year, figures to come off the board over the first 10 picks no matter what the Bengals do.

But for Dave Lapham, Pitts just isn’t a good value in the top five, as he noted on the latest “Bengals Booth Podcast” episode:

“At number five I think that’s a little bit rich to consider the tight end position….But taking a tight end at the fifth spot, I don’t know, to me that’s just a little bit too rich. This kid’s really good.”

Bengals team reporter Geoff Hobson followed up with this: “I don’t think they would take him even if they traded back.”

It’s an easy line of thinking to get behind when the objective of the offseason is better protecting Joe Burrow. Paying a free agent, then using a top-five pick or top 12ish after a trade back to take another lineman is a safe, smart way to go about things.

But the Bengals also need a complimentary piece to Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins. It’s why mocks have Pitts going to the Bengals and we’ve argued the front office needs to target the Florida star.

The nice part about the conversation surrounding the fifth pick? This is a good problem for the Bengals to have and the team has plenty of time to go through the paces and upgrade the roster.

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Three Gators selected in Draft Wire’s latest NFL mock. See who they picked here

Here is a look at the three former Florida Gators that Draft Wire expects to be taken in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Both the collegiate and professional football seasons are essentially over — save for the upcoming Super Bowl VL on Sunday — which signals the true start of the NFL mock draft season, especially with the 2021 Senior Bowl now in the rearview mirror.

Looking ahead, the Florida Gators have several entries into the 2021 NFL draft, including standout tight end Kyle Pitts and multi-positional athlete Kadarius Toney, who have been projected as first-rounders by many. But there may be a third in that group this season — a player who had a spectacular senior campaign that fell short of a Heisman Trophy award — according to one reputable media outlet.

Here is a look at the three former Florida Gators that Draft Wire expects to be taken in the first round.

Former Gators star Pitts has all the tools to shine at the next level

With the loss of the nation’s top tight end Kyle Pitts, the Gators will have a lot of offensive production to replace next season.

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Name: Kyle Pitts

Number: 84

Position: Tight End

Class: Junior

Height: 6’6″

Weight: 246 pounds

Hometown: Philadelphia, Pa.

High School: Archbishop Wood

Twitter: @kylepitts__

2020 statistics:

REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG
43	770	17.9	12	71

Overview:

Kyle Pitts joined the Gators as one of the top tight ends in the 2018 recruiting class. A four-star recruit from Philadelphia, Pitts was expected to be a major contributor early in his Florida career.

His freshman season in 2018, he saw limited action. He played in 11 games, but most of his time came on special teams. In total, he had three catches for 73 yards, one of which went 52 yards for a touchdown against Idaho. Though his first season was a bit lackluster, his sophomore year saw him take a major step forward.

Pitts became Florida’s starting tight end in 2019, and after starting quarterback Feleipe Franks suffered an ankle injury that ended his season, Pitts became one of the favorite targets of backup quarterback Kyle Trask. He finished the season with 54 catches for 649 yards and five touchdowns.

Heading into his junior season with Trask returning under center, expectations were high for Pitts in 2020. And somehow, he exceeded them. He had 43 catches for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns, winning the Mackey Award and being nominated for the Biletnikoff Award in the process. He finished 10th in Heisman voting, the first tight end to crack the top 10 in 43 years. Injuries and the bowl game opt-out held Pitts out of four games, and it’s conceivable he could’ve competed with Devonta Smith for the Heisman if he played a full slate.

Pitts enters the 2021 NFL Draft as the top tight end prospect and a bona fide first-round pick, with some even projecting he could go in the top 10. In all likelihood, he will be UF’s first offensive skill position player taken in the first round since Tim Tebow in 2010.

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf0L7tkC5GI&feature=youtu.be

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Bengals take possible ‘generational talent’ Kyle Pitts in new mock draft

A new mock draft has the Cincinnati Bengals taking a big-time weapon.

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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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These two former Gators are projected first-rounders in latest mock draft

Here is a look at where ESPN football analyst Mel Kiper Jr. expects the two to be picked and an explanation for his projection.

The National Football League will conclude its 2020-21 season on Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers clash in Super Bowl LV, and with the college football season well in the rearview mirror, we enter a special time of year when mock drafts rule the discourse.

Over the past couple of weeks, the media has been trickling out its takes on who will go where when the NFL draft kicks off on April 29. Fans of the Florida Gators have kept a watchful eye on these prognostications, hoping that their favorite players in the Orange and Blue find a home in the professional ranks where they can flourish and make the Gator Nation proud.

On Sunday, ESPN released its latest 2021 NFL mock draft which featured two former Gators who have remained in the first-round discussion. Unsurprisingly, star tight end Kyle Pitts is expected to be selected in the first half of the opening round while receiver and all-around athlete Kadarius Toney is slotted at several picks later.

Here is a look at where ESPN football analyst Mel Kiper Jr. expects the two to be picked and an explanation for his projections.

Check out where two former Gators land in this latest NFL mock draft

The 2021 NFL draft may still be three months away, yet recent league events are already beginning to shape it.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published by USA TODAY Sports and has been republished in its entirety below.

The 2021 NFL draft may still be three months away, yet recent league events are already beginning to shape it. For starters, the playoffs have nearly set the first-round order – Super Bowl 55 left to determine the Buccaneers or Chiefs as 2020 champions and the final team to select in Round 1.

And then there’s the quarterback carousel, which has cranked up unusually early. We’re only a few weeks into the 2021 calendar, and already Philip Rivers has announced his retirement, the Lions and Matthew Stafford have apparently chosen to terminate their marriage, and it seems Deshaun Watson wants out of Houston.

The fallout will be reflected in my first mock draft of the year:

Pair of former Gators slotted as NFL 1st round picks by Mel Kiper

After impressive seasons in Florida’s record-setting passing offense, Kyle Pitts and Kadarius Toney could go off the board on Day 1.

Florida’s offensive struggles over the last decade are best evidenced by its output into the NFL (or lack thereof). UF hasn’t had an offensive skill position player drafted in the first round since Tim Tebow in 2010.

That’s going to change this year, though. It shouldn’t be surprising that UF’s record-setting 2020 offense has NFL teams paying attention, and in his preliminary first-round mock draft, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper has two Florida pass-catchers in his first 32 picks.

Gators tight end Kyle Pitts was almost universally considered to be the best player at his position in college football this year. He cracked the top-10 in Heisman voting (making him the first tight end to do so since 1977), and he could push to be a top-10 selection in April’s draft.

Right now, Kiper predicts that Pitts will fall just outside the top 10, predicting that the New York Giants will select him with the 11th overall pick.

11. New York Giants

Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida

Quarterback Daniel Jones cut down on his turnovers and showed some improvement in Year 2, but he still averaged only 6.6 yards per attempt. Even when he gets time to throw in the pocket, he doesn’t have a consistent downfield threat (though Darius Slayton was a nice fifth-round find in 2019). At 6-foot-6, Pitts has the size/speed traits to line up out wide, in the slot or next to an offensive tackle. And he showed off his ability after the catch by averaging 17.9 yards per reception with 12 touchdowns. Pitts is not a traditional tight end, but he’s a skilled offensive threat. And with Evan Engram on the roster, too, the Giants would have two of the most athletic — and versatile — tight ends in football.

NEXT: Where will Kadarius Toney go?

Pages: 12

Giants select Kyle Pitts in Mel Kiper Jr.’s first mock draft

In the first mock draft from ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., the New York Giants select tight end Kyle Pitts at No. 11 overall.

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The New York Giants will likely be seeking some offensive playmakers in this year’s NFL draft and the draftniks have been all over that in their mock drafts.

Mel Kiper Jr, the original draftnik, believes the Giants will have a choice of several big-time offensive weapons with the 11th overall selection in Round 1. In his first mock draft of the year, Kiper relives the Giants won’t pass on this special tight end out of Florida.

11. New York Giants
Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida

Quarterback Daniel Jones cut down on his turnovers and showed some improvement in Year 2, but he still averaged only 6.6 yards per attempt. Even when he gets time to throw in the pocket, he doesn’t have a consistent downfield threat (though Darius Slayton was a nice fifth-round find in 2019). At 6-foot-6, Pitts has the size/speed traits to line up out wide, in the slot or next to an offensive tackle. And he showed off his ability after the catch by averaging 17.9 yards per reception with 12 touchdowns. Pitts is not a traditional tight end, but he’s a skilled offensive threat. And with Evan Engram on the roster, too, the Giants would have two of the most athletic — and versatile — tight ends in football.

Engram has worn out his welcome with the Giants. Dropped passes and inconsistent play have fans and experts doubting the Giants will extend him past this season, which is the last on Engram’s rookie contract.

Pitts is more of an inline tight end with more size with hopefully better hands. The addition of Pitts could make Engram expendable in a draft day trade. Engram’s salary and cap hit for 2021 is $6.013 million and a trade would free up valuable cap space with the salary cap $23 million lower this year across the league.

Engram’s value went up this offseason after he was selected for the Pro Bowl but many may not be fooled by that honor. His drops cost the Giants on the scoreboard and in the standings and he may not be as easy to deal.

The selection of Pitts is contingent on him still being on the board at No. 11. Many teams see him as a ‘unicorn’ or unique player that will be a matchup nightmare for NFL linebackers and secondaries. He could go in the Top 10, especially if he kills it at the combine (or whatever replaces it).

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49ers add another offensive weapon in mock draft

The San Francisco 49ers scoop up Florida TE Kyle Pitts in Daniel Jeremiah’s mock draft.

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The 49ers’ list of draft needs is relatively long with more than 40 players set to hit free agency and a salary cap crunch that could keep San Francisco from retaining some key contributors. While they could go into the draft aiming to fill specific holes on the roster, they may also go the route of simply adding another good player, even at a position that might not be a high priority. That’s the strategy they utilized in a mock draft by NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah.

San Francisco with the No. 12 selection in Jeremiah’s mock scoop up Florida tight end Kyle Pitts.

It seems like the kind of choice that wouldn’t behoove a 49ers club that needs a couple starters in the secondary, another edge rusher, some offensive lineman, and maybe a quarterback.

However, versatile tight ends can cause huge matchup problems for defenses. Adding another effective wide-receiver-type pass catcher to the 49ers’ growing list of weapons could make them even more difficult to defend.

Pitts is a massive 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, but runs routes like a much smaller player. Florida utilized him as an in-line tight end, in the slot, and split out wide, and he’s effective at all three spots. He was a favorite target of quarterback Kyle Trask in 2020 and hauled in 43 catches for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns in just eight games as a junior. That came after a strong sophomore campaign where he posted 54 receptions, 649 yards and five touchdowns.

It’s easy to see how a big, explosive, versatile tight end would add a new layer of difficulty for defending the 49ers’ offense. On the other hand, it may be wiser to locate some explosive athletes later in the draft and focus on some of the more pressing needs in the early rounds.