Florida tight end Kyle Pitts has been named to the preseason watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the best pass-catcher.
Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, who many consider to be the top tight end in the nation heading into the 2020 season, has been named to the preseason watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the best pass-catcher in the country.
Though primarily an award given to wide receivers, any player who catches passes is eligible to win the award, regardless of position.
Pitts is coming off a tremendous sophomore outing in 2019 in which he led the team in receptions with 54 catches and was second on the team with 649 receiving yards. He also caught five touchdowns on the season.
He was often quarterback Kyle Trask’s first look on passing downs, and many analysts expect him to take a massive leap forward in 2020, possibly asserting himself as a first-round quality tight end.
Pitts was one of 55 players named to the watch list, which will get trimmed down to semifinalists on Nov. 16. A week later on Nov. 23, it will be further trimmed until only three finalists remain, with the award set to be announced at the Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 10. The trophy will be presented at an event at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on March 6, 2021.
Florida Gators tight end Pitts is expected by many to be one of the top tight ends in the country in 2020 and The Athletic agrees.
UF tight end Kyle Pitts is garnering himself quite a bit of offseason attention. Coming off a stellar sophomore season in which he made 54 catches for 649 yards and five touchdowns, Pitts is expected by many to be one of the top tight ends in the country in 2020.
In an article from The Athletic comparing the nation’s top draft-eligible tight ends, Pitts was ranked in the No. 1 spot. He was praised for his “freak athleticism,” as his agility is comparable to that of a smaller receiver. He was also praised for his route-running, which was on full display in his matchup with LSU corner Derek Stingley Jr., in which he won most of his battles.
However, The Athletic also said he needs to improve on his finishing skills to solidify himself as the top tight end prospect. Pitts drops one of every eight catchable passes, a rate that needs to improve for quarterback Kyle Trask‘s top target. The No. 2 tight end in the class, Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth, drops one of every 16 catchable passes.
Still, Pitts was deemed to have first-round potential and was compared to longtime NFL tight end Jared Cook. If he can work on his consistency and blocking, he has all the physical tools to have a dominant season in 2020.
Skipping right over the 2020 season, see what the 2021 Dallas Cowboys could possibly do in the draft to address a few more needs.
The dust has settled from the 2020 NFL draft but being the NFL is in recess, why not skip right over the 2020 season and look to the 2021 version.
Luke Easterling of the Draft Wire conducted a two-round mock draft recently, identifying the majority of the coming college football season’s watch list. For the mock order, Easterling used 2020 Super Bowl odds , giving Dallas the No. 27 overall pick. This puts them ten spots deeper than they had when they selected Cee Dee Lamb with the No. 17 overall pick just a few months ago. This also puts the Cowboys in the NFC title game, but that’s a discussion for later.
27. Cowboys | Kyle Pitts | TE | Florida
Oct 12, 2019; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts (84) catches a pass over LSU Tigers safety Grant Delpit (7) during the first half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
One can look at this pick in multiple ways. Currently, the Cowboys have tight ends Blake Jarwin, Blake Bell, Dalton Schultz, Sean McKeon, Charlie Taumoepeau and Cole Hikutini on their 2020 roster. By drafting a tight end next year, the mock predicts the tight end depth chart wasn’t strong enough in 2020.
Jarwin goes into this season as the clear cut starter but the group of tight ends behind him clearly don’t stand out in the upcoming season. Taking Pitts with the No. 27 overall also means that he’s coming in to compete for the starting tight end position in 2021.
Jarwin entered 2020 as a restricted free agent, but signed a four-year deal. It is essentially escapable after one season, though, so the team protected themselves should they need to move in a different direction in short order.
59. Dallas Cowboys | Richie Grant | S | UCF
Dec 23, 2019; Tampa, Florida, USA; Central Florida Knights defensive back Richie Grant (27) makes an interception and runs the ball back for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Marshall Thundering Herd at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
The Cowboys finally address the safety position via the draft in Round 2. In 2020, the Cowboys selected two cornerbacks in Trevon Diggs and Reggie Robinson III. They addressed their secondary but felt that the addition of Ha Ha Clinton Dix to Xavier Woods meant safety wasn’t something they needed to focus on.
Drafting Grant here could mean one of a a few things. Both Clinton Dix and Woods are in the final years of their deals. Even if either resigns for a few years it’s unlikely both would return, opening up the possibility for a young cat like Grant to join the fray,
The 2020 draft could go down as one of the best Dallas has had in quite some time. The 2021 draft could be looked at as a draft class that would fill holes and put the team over the top to continue to compete to get their sixth Super Bowl trophy.
