NFL analyst: ‘Falcons made the right decision’ by drafting Kyle Pitts
NFL draft grades tend to be overblown and oftentimes, poorly thought out as writers scramble to label picks as good or bad before they’ve had enough time to properly digest the entire three-day event. Still, certain picks are obviously going to stick out for various reasons.
In the case of the Falcons, nobody knew for certain whether or not the team was actually considering a quarterback at No. 4, so that became the focus in the weeks leading up to the draft. Taking the narrative out of it and just focusing on the player, though, Atlanta landed a guy scouts believe to be the best non-quarterback prospect in this year’s class — Florida tight end Kyle Pitts.
NFLcom’s Lance Zielein, one of the best draft analysts consistently, released a feature highlighting a few of his favorite picks from each round. The very first player mentioned by Zierlein is Pitts, giving the Falcons heavy praise for making a tough call.
“San Francisco’s late-March trade with Miami to move up to No. 3 overall may have set an unattainable market for teams hoping to secure the No. 4 pick from Atlanta, but I feel like the Falcons made the right decision to stick and pick, as Pitts was the best of all their options,” Zierlein writes before going on to call Pitts the second-best player in the draft.
“His size (6-6, 245) gives him an advantage over defensive backs, his speed (4.4 40) gives him an advantage over linebackers and safeties, and his route-running and ball skills are simply multipliers for those aforementioned physical advantages. He can play wide, from the slot or in-line, and gives Matt Ryan a reliable target with very few limitations. He was the second-best player in the draft.”
Other picks that were named as favorites of Zierlein include the Dallas Cowboys’ selection of linebacker/EDGE Micah Parsons, and the Jacksonville Jaguars adding Clemson running back Travis Etienne to pair up with No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence.
