Two former Gators among CBS Sports’ NFL breakout players this season
Florida football has struggled on the field the past couple of years, posting identical 6-7 records in 2021 and 2022. However, the state’s flagship university still managed to put prime contributors into the professional ranks despite the lack of success in the Swamp.
The Gators have had a player selected in the first round of the NFL draft for four consecutive years dating to 2020, when defensive back C.J. Henderson was taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the ninth pick. The following year, a pair of UF players were plucked on opening night: tight end Kyle Pitts (No. 4) and wide receiver Kadarius Toney (No. 20). They were selected by the Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants, respectively.
CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin published his list of breakout players for each NFL team this season and included the 2021 picks among his selections. First up is Pitts, who is still with the team that made him the highest-drafted tight end in league history.
It feels weird to be picking Pitts as a potential breakout player, but after the way last season went, it makes sense. He followed a 1,026-yard rookie campaign with an injury-plagued sophomore year during which he caught 28 of 59 passes thrown his way for 356 yards and two scores. But look a little deeper: Pitts was targeted on 28% of his routes run, the 12th-highest mark among 334 players who ran at least four routes per game. Those targets were just wildly inaccurate because Marcus Mariota ranked second in the NFL behind only Zach Wilson in off-target throw rate (17.7%), according to Tru Media. It would be almost impossible for Desmond Ridder to be similarly inaccurate, so Pitts has a chance to smash if he can stay healthy.
Kadarius Toney, on the other hand, was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs last year. Here is what Dubin had to offer on the mercurial wide receiver.
Over the past two seasons, 147 wide receivers have run at least 250 routes. Among that group, only the following five players have been targeted more often on their routes than Toney (27.6%): Cooper Kupp (30.0%), Davante Adams (29.9%), Tyreek Hill (29.5%), Drake London (28%) and Chris Olave (27.7%). Now, Toney is entering the season as Patrick Mahomes’ No. 1 wide receiver and will have had a full offseason to get a handle on the offense. If he can stay healthy, look out.
The 2023-24 NFL season kicks off on Thursday night, Sept. 7, in Kansas City, Missouri, as the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs host the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium starting at 8:20 p.m. EDT.
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