Kyle Pitts: The top tight end of the 2021 NFL Draft?

Where does Kyle Pitts fall short?

The biggest weakness Pitts has may not be much of a weakness at all. Pitts isn’t the type of tight end that you’re going to want lined up inside with blocking responsibilities often. Pitts is going to be much better off utilized in a Mike Gesicki-type role where he’s more or less a wide receiver — or “Big Slot — rather than a traditional tight end. With the recent evolution of the position, that shouldn’t be a stumbling block for most teams.

Pitts’ struggles in the blocking department don’t come from a lack of effort. Pitts shows more than enough “want to” on tape, which is encouraging. Rather, his struggles come from a combination of poor technique and a lack of functional strength. Pitts often reaches for blocks and relies more or less entirely on this upper body to get the job done. That may work at the collegiate level, but it’s not going to cut it in the NFL.

However, with enough time and effort, all of that is correctable. Pitts shows that he’s willing to get down and dirty when needed. That’s half the battle right there. Any position coach worth his salt will think he can correct Pitts’ technique issues. A year in a professional strength and conditioning program should be able to mitigate some of the strength issues, as well. Pitts will likely never be a great blocker, but if you’re drafting him near the top 10 you shouldn’t be asking that of him much anyway.

Some teams may also question Pitts’ route running ability. Pitts doesn’t tend to explode out of his cuts, and his route running can get lazy at times. Too many times you see Pitts rounding off cuts and not doing enough to gain separation at the top of the route. Pitts is such an athlete that it rarely hurts him at this level, but everyone’s a superb athlete in the NFL. However, once again this is something that any position coach should believe he can coach out of Pitts.