The Atlanta Falcons selected Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the first selection under new general manager Terry Fontenot.
Pitts is the reigning John Mackey Award recipient, given to the best tight end in college football. He earned unanimous All-American honors this past season at Florida, snagging 43 receptions for 770 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in eight games.
At his Pro Day, Pitts ran a 4.44 40-yard dash and received a 9.66 relative athletic score. The 6-foot-6, 245-pound tight end has drawn comparisons to Hall of FamersTony Gonzalez and Kellen Winslow Sr. He is the No.2-ranked player on our 2021 NFL Draft big board.
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Pitts joins Ron Kramer – taken by Green Bay Packers in 1957 NFL Draft – as the highest-drafted tight end in NFL history. He also becomes just the second tight end in the modern era (Riley Odoms, No. 5 pick in 1972 NFL Draft) to be taken with a top-five pick.
A Pennsylvania native, Pitts grew up in Philadelphia and starred at Archbishop Wood Catholic High School as a defensive end and tight end. He was a four-star recruit in the 2018 recruiting class, ranked as the No. 4 tight end by 247 Sports.
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Under new head coach Arthur Smith, formerly a tight ends coach with the Tennessee Titans, Pitts will be a featured weapon in the Falcons’ offense. Florida used him in the slot (67 snaps), outside (43 snaps) and as an in-line tight end (152 snaps) this past season, per Pro Football Focus, and he will be moved all over the field in Atlanta.
Pitts could immediately become a star in the offense, with circulating rumors of a Julio Jones trade this summer.
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Atlanta is set to make its next pick in Round 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft, with the No. 35 overall pick. The Falcons have two Day 2 picks and six selections on Day 3.