Cardinals 2021 NFL draft profile: Florida TE Kyle Pitts

But, there is one name in particular in the 2021 NFL Draft that would make the Cardinals offense even more lethal than it already is.

As the trade deadline passes, the Arizona Cardinals acquired Markus Golden to boost their edge-rushing corps from an injured Chandler Jones. This week, they face the Miami Dolphins, who are coming off an impressive win with rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Going into Week 9, the Cardinals have the top offense in the NFL, averaging 419.1 yards per game. From Kyler Murray to DeAndre Hopkins, this offense has been a lethal force throughout the majority of the season.

However, they do have a few question marks in terms of their long-term answers at key positions. One of those is at tight end. Kliff Kingsbury does not utilize tight ends as much as other teams in the NFC West.  However, there is one name in particular in the 2021 draft that would make the Cardinals offense even more lethal than it already is. That name is Kyle Pitts from Florida. 

The Kyles of the Florida Gators (Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts) took the college football world by storm through the first few games of the season. Through four games, Pitts has 22 receptions for 355 yards and seven touchdowns, four of them coming in the first game against Ole Miss. Pitts stands 6-foot-6 and 246 pounds and has been an absolute unit with the Gators. He has a good amount of speed and is physical after the catch. Pitts also has elite hands, as he only had four dropped passes in 2019. He is athletic and has the talent to be lined up as a wideout, as he has done before and will still beat out cornerbacks with his separation of speed. As a tight end, he Pitts is such a crisp route runner and has really expanded his route tree throughout his time at Florida. The Cardinals have tight end Maxx Williams until 2022, but they have not seen a ton of flashes out of him. Granted, the tight end position is not one of the premiere parts of the Cardinals offense. If they drafted Kyle Pitts, Kyler Murray not only has his tight end for the future, but they also have a guy that can line up as a receiver and produce like a top-notch weapon. 

Kyle Pitts has made substantial leaps forward throughout his time at Florida. His weight has been a concern, but he has consistently added to it along with muscle throughout the offseason. His blocking is so efficient and that would be crucial for the Cardinals offense. However, there have been times where he won’t finish his blocks. This happened in his 2019 game against Tennessee where he would start off strong, but let his opponent win the battle because he wasn’t as physical enough. This has slowly improved, but it should not affect his draft stock and cause tight end needy teams to pass on. 

Kyle Pitts has certainly made a case for himself being the number one tight end in the country with his performance this season thus far. The tight end position is one of the biggest question marks on the Cardinals offense. If Kyler Murray had DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald (if he stays another year), Christian Kirk and you add Kyle Pitts to that mix, the Cardinals would be an offense you would not want to mess with.     

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What will it take for UF to beat UGA? Three keys on offense for a Florida victory

UF and UGA face off in a titanic matchup this Saturday with both teams coming in quite evenly matched. Here are the offensive keys for UF.

The Gators haven’t won the SEC East and made the pilgrimage to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game since 2016. This squad could be its best since that season, but if it’s going to win the division, it has to do another thing it hasn’t done since 2016: beat Georgia.

The one-loss Bulldogs enter this game coming off a 14-3 win over Kentucky, and they appear to be as vulnerable as they’ve been in years. The Gators’ defense has struggled, but their elite offensive unit has been enough in three of their four games.

Here are three offensive keys to the contest against UGA.

Five things to watch for when Florida plays Missouri on Saturday

UF has to deal with a depleted depth chart, an empty home-field and Mizzou’s balanced offense, but returns Kyree Campbell and the two Kyles.

The Gators are back in action this weekend after a two-week break stemming from a COVID-19 outbreak after the team’s loss at Texas A&M on Oct. 10.

Florida takes on the Missouri Tigers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Saturday night at 7:30 in a game that was originally scheduled to take place last weekend but was delayed.

Mizzou is coming off back-to-back wins against LSU and Kentucky, and the rusty Gators could find themselves struggling against a Tigers team that has improved every week.

Here are five things to watch in that game as UF looks to move past its first loss of the season.

Florida’s star tight end Kyle Pitts is PFF’s highest-graded pass catcher

Florida Gators have a star pass-catcher at tight end this season in Kyle Pitts who received the highest grade from PFF recently.

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Kyle Pitts‘ electric start to the 2020 season doesn’t just put him in a league of his own among tight ends.

The junior is Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded pass-catcher in college football through Week 7, edging out even the sport’s most elite wide receivers.

Pitts graded at a 95.0, higher than Wake Forest receiver Jaquarii Roberson and Alabama receiver Devonta Smith. No other tight end was even in his stratosphere, as BYU’s Mason Wake, the No. 2 player at the position, graded at 84.6.

Through three games, Pitts has 17 catches for 276 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s been the favorite target of quarterback Kyle Trask, and the duo has led a UF offense that is on pace to set records.

He even finds himself receiving some attention as a dark-horse Heisman candidate despite the fact that no pass-catcher has won the award since Desmond Howard in 1991, and no tight end has ever technically won the trophy.

The last was Notre Dame‘s Leon Hart in 1949, though Hart played the “end” position as there were no tight ends at the time.

Pitts is facing an uphill battle if he’s going to be the first, but he’s got the production so far. Should he continue on this pace, it will be hard to ignore him come December.

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Trask, Pitts named to National Player of the Year Trophy Watch List

UF’s duo of Kyle Trask and Pitts were announced on the College Football Performance Awards National Player of the Year Trophy Watch List.

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The accolades continue to pile up for Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask and his trusty tight end, Kyle Pitts, as the dynamic duo fuel one of the most potent offenses in college football. Despite having only played in three games so far in this COVID-crippled season, they still have the attention of many in the sports media.

The two were announced among a list of those chosen for the College Football Performance Awards National Player of the Year Trophy Watch List on Wednesday, an honor bestowed upon the best player “based upon the objective scientific rankings of the extent to which individual players increase the overall effectiveness of their teams.”

Trask is currently tied with UCF’s Dillon Gabriel — albeit in one less game — for third in the nation with 14 passing touchdowns, only trailing Texas‘ Sam Ehlinger and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, who have 16 and 15, respectively. Pitts is ranked second overall in touchdown receptions, knotted up in a three-way tie with Arkansas State’s Jonathan Adams Jr. and LSU‘s Terrace Marshall Jr. with seven — three less than North Texas’ Jaelon Darden, who leads the nation with 10.

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Florida’s two Kyles still under consideration for the Heisman Trophy

Florida Gators stars quarterback Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts remain on USA TODAY Sports’ Heisman Trophy Watch after dropping down in Week 7.

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

There is no such thing as a foregone conclusion in the wild world of college football, particularly this season in the world of COVID-19 where the unpredictable is predictable.

Perceptions could change when the Big Ten and other conferences finally kick off starting this weekend. But for the moment, There’s an air of inevitability developing around the notion that Clemson and Alabama are unstoppable forces again destined to square off for the national title and that the Heisman winner will be the quarterback of one of those programs.

Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence continues to hold the lead in the weekly USA TODAY Network Heisman survey. He tossed five more TD passes last week as the Tigers routed Georgia Tech, though he did throw his first interception of the season. He has 15 scoring passes thus far in 2020 and a total of 1,544 yards.

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Alabama’s Mac Jones was every bit as impressive in the Crimson Tide’s win against Georgia in a top-five showdown. He moved 14 points closer to Lawrence in the survey and added three first-place votes to last week’s total. Jones’ first pass was picked off,  as well, on his first attempt of the game, but he bounced back to add four TDs to his ledger, bringing his season total to 12 with 1,518 yards.

Jones’ teammate, running back Najee Harris, is also on the radar in fifth place with the most points among non-quarterbacks.

Another prolific passer, BYU’s Zach Wilson, has moved up to third and could be emerging as a dark horse. Though he hasn’t faced quite the same level of competition, he impressed a national television audience Friday night in the Cougars’ important victory at Houston. Through five games he is averaging 328.2 yards through the air. He has a total of 12 TD throws with just one pick, and has also run for six more scores.

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Two Florida Gators make ESPN’s ‘midseason’ awards watch lists

Florida has two players on ESPN’s awards watch list entering the midpoint-ish of the season with their tight end and kicker mentioned.

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The coronavirus (COVID-19) and the individual proceeding approaches conferences have taken have thrown a wrinkle in the annual midseason award watch lists.

Despite these differences, ESPN’s Bill Connelly used the information we do have, while considering the student-athletes yet to take the field, to hand out his “midseason” awards on October 19.

Two Florida Gators juniors received a nod from Connelly and the team earned some recognition, as well.

Beginning with the team, he named Florida’s offense as one of the five best in America, along with the Alabama Crimson Tide, BYU Cougars, Memphis Tigers and Virginia Tech Hokies.

Having scored at least 38 points in all three of their games, the Gators are averaging 464 yards per game, the 18th-best total in the country.

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The young man at the controls of this potent attack, redshirt senior quarterback Kyle Trask, has tossed 14 touchdown passes and just one interception in three games, putting him on pace to surpass Danny Wuerffel’s single-season school record of 39, set in his Heisman Trophy-winning 1996 campaign.

This pace will be difficult to maintain, but if Trask is able to do so, it would be even more impressive considering Florida will play only 10 regular-season games in 2020, instead of their usual 12.

On the receiving end of half of Trask’s touchdowns has been tight end Kyle Pitts, who was identified by Connelly as the frontrunner for the John Mackey Award.

Presented annually since 2000 to college football’s most outstanding tight end, Memphis redshirt senior Sean Dykes occupied second-place on Connelly’s rankings, while the Ole Miss Rebels’ Kenny Yeboah, another redshirt senior, slotted in third.

Penn State Nittany Lions junior Pat Freiermuth, who will begin his season on Saturday in Bloomington against the Indiana Hoosiers, was labeled a “late-arriving threat” in the rankings.

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Pitts, a likely first-round selection in the 2021 National Football League Draft, has caught 17 passes for 274 yards thus far in 2020, placing him on track to establish career-highs in both categories. His seven touchdown receptions are already a career-best.

The other Florida student-athlete to receive this honor from Connelly was kicker Evan McPherson, who was second on his Lou Groza Award rankings.

Handed out each year since 1992 to the best placekicker in the sport, the ESPN Staff Writer labeled Miami Hurricanes redshirt senior Jose Borregales as the favorite to be the recipient and placed BYU redshirt sophomore Jake Oldroyd third on his list.

A three-year starter, McPherson is five-for-five on his field goal attempts in 2020, including a 55-yarder in the season-opening victory over Ole Miss, which is tied for the third-longest in school history.

The Gators, who lost, 41-38, in their last action against the Texas A&M Aggies on October 10, will have had three full weeks off by the time they next suit up on October 31, Halloween, against the Missouri Tigers in Gainesville.

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Dynamic Kyle duo Trask and Pitts remain on ESPN’s Heisman Watch

The dynamic duo of QB Kyle Trask and TE Kyle Pitts remain in the projected running for the Heisman Trophy but lost some ground after Week 6.

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Though each of their respective stocks took a bit of a dip following Florida’s first loss of the season to Texas A&M last weekend, Florida’s duo of Kyles remains on the ESPN Heisman Watch going into Week 7.

Quarterback Kyle Trask was ranked fifth behind Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne, Ohio State‘s Justin Fields and Alabama‘s Mac Jones.

Alabama running back Najee Harris was ranked sixth, and Gators tight end Kyle Pitts rounded out the watch list at No. 7.

Here’s what ESPN’s voters had to say about the pair’s odds of taking home this year’s Heisman Trophy.

5. Kyle Trask, QB, Florida

Total points: 22 (first-place votes: 0)

Notable: The Gators suffered their first loss of the season, but Trask did his part to give Florida a chance to win. He threw for 312 yards and four touchdowns — giving him 14 on the year in only three games.

Quotable: “He’s the total package. He has a big, 6-5 frame. He can make every throw, from showing touch on short routes to showing strength on go routes.” — Mel Kiper Jr.

7. Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida

Total points: 11 (first-place votes: 0)

Notable: Pitts had another strong performance in an upset loss to Texas A&M on Saturday, scoring a touchdown to run up his tally to seven TDs on the season.

Quotable: “He’s a true matchup piece in the NFL, and even though Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth is a more complete prospect, Pitts is making a real case out of the gate for TE1 in the 2021 class.” — Todd McShay

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Chargers in attendance to scout Florida vs. Texas A&M

Nine players from the matchup between the Florida Gators and Texas A&M Aggies could have attracted the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Los Angeles Chargers were one of several teams confirmed to be in attendance for the matchup between the Florida Gators and Texas A&M Aggies Saturday.

Here are a few players that the Bolts likely had their attention turned to:

Florida

TE Kyle Pitts

WR Kadarius Toney

OG Stewart Reese

CB Trey Dean

EDGE Jeremiah Moon

Texas A&M

OT Carson Green

OG Jared Hocker

CB Myles Jones

CB Elijah Blades

WR Jhamon Ausbon

WATCH: Kyle Trask leads UF to touchdowns on first 2 drives

The Gators are once again moving the ball at will this week against Texas A&M in Week 3 of SEC play.

The Gators are once again moving the ball at will this week against Texas A&M.

Florida’s offense went to work quickly in the first drive of the game. Quarterback Kyle Trask led a 17-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a passing touchdown to tight end Kyle Pitts.

The score marked Pitts’ seventh of the young season, and he leads the nation in receiving touchdowns.

Trask was sharp on the opening drive. He completed 6 of 9 passes for 51 yards. He completed a pass for 17 yards on the game’s first play from scrimmage to receiver Trevon Grimes, and he kept it himself twice on the drive for seven yards.

The touchdown was set up by a conversion on fourth and one from a Malik Davis seven-yard carry, and later on a 16-yard pass to Pitts on third and 14.

After Texas A&M answered with a touchdown, Trask led the Gators right back down the field, capitalizing on a 39-yard pass to Davis.

Trask finished the drive with a touchdown pass to Kadarius Toney, who held on despite a personal foul at the end of the play.

But the Gators are struggling again defensively, and big plays have been costly. Quarterback Kellen Mond has as many incompletions as he does touchdown passes (two), and Florida has given up more than 150 yards already in a 14-14 ball game.

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