Agree with you guys on Pitts. He's my top non-QB. It's not that I've never seen anything like him coming out of college; it's that I've never seen anything close. His agility and ability to separate vs CB's reminds me more of Kelce than Waller (the typical comp), and CK's video of Pitts working from the slot highlights it.
He does remind me a lot of Mike Evans on 9 routes, but imo he has looser hips and more flexible ankles, and he's heavier and doesn't drop the ball. Factor in his age and the leap he made as a blocker, and he's the ultimate queen on the chess board.
It's funny, because there's a thread on the main, where people are talking about how Miami shouldn't draft Pitts because of Gesicki.
The ultimate queen on the chess board. I think you've got it.
The only danger is, as a coach, there will be a lot of pressure to figure out the BEST way to use that. You'll want to borrow his ability so that other areas of the offense can thrive, but then you don't want to handcuff him and make him less productive when he could be affecting the game directly. Whenever you find yourself looking at a player you've never seen before, you should be a little bit nervous about it.
I also think Pitts sort of fits a little bit of a trend we're seeing. Notice how much of Mike Evans's work in the video above was done on the inside. That's the most slot work Mike Evans has done, by a good bit. And if you look at how he was used, what he was doing to defenders, it really was sort of a big bully pass catcher role that reminds you a bit of a Travis Kelce.
It's not quite the same, it's sort of a different side of the same spectrum if that makes sense, but you're also seeing with guys like D.K. Metcalf and Chase Claypool thrive as bullies on the perimeter.
And then you've got Darren Waller, who defies convention as a WR convert and plays in-line like 65%.
To me this speaks of a little bit of an opportunity with these bigger bodies in the passing game who have speed and agility that outpaces their size and strength....being used in places you'd not necessarily expect them to thrive. Position-less football.
That makes me all the more convinced that Pitts is the right pick for Miami.
As for people saying no because of Mike Gesicki, can they be blamed? It's tough to stay on top of fresh trends.
To them, Kyle Pitts is a tight end, because they've been told he's a tight end, and Mike Gesicki is a tight end too. Their models for two-TE offenses that work are strictly limited to the Gronkowski-Hernandez example, and it's clear that neither Gesicki nor Pitts are Gronkowski. And frankly, neither of them are Hernandez, either. At least, Pitts could play that way, but he's so much more.
I fell prey to that mindset myself until I started looking more closely for a true analog for Kyle Pitts's body, abilities, and game, and realized it's surprisingly closer to Calvin Johnson than anything you find in the tight end realm. Secondarily I think he compares favorably to Mike Evans when he was coming out of college, although I think you nail it that there are some differences where Pitts even out-strips him.
