IMHO, Pitts is an exceptional prospect ... but lots of great prospects do not become the player their potential suggests. TE is one of the most different positions in the NFL compared to college. There are a lot of busts and even more guys who become good but not great.
In terms of athlete, we can't really consider Pitt's 40 time as legit because it's a hand-timed Pro Day time. Those are typically 0.1 seconds faster than an actual laser timed Combine event. That translates to a 4.54 forty ... which is pretty close to Mike Gesicki's time. While awesome, it's a far cry from Vernon Davis's sub-4.4 forty. And while Davis became a good TE ... he's nowhere near the talent of Rob Gronkowski ... or even Jimmy Graham in his heyday. Great athletics is only part of what it takes to become a great player.
I love Pitts as a prospect, but I'm not putting him in Canton for his collegiate achievements. If we did that, we'd all be dreaming about the next Aundray Bruce or Vernon Gholston. When OJ Howard came out we heard the same thing ... revolutionize the position. At the end of the day, we have a top notch TE in Gesicki, and if we give up on him just as he's starting to realize his potential we'll be robbing this team of some very good talent. I'd rather complement Gesicki with a WR#1 like Ja'Marr Chase. There are only so many seam routes a team can run, and Gesicki + Pitts would mean they simply alternated rather than added. At the X position, I'm taking Chase over Gesicki and Pitts. At the seam threat position, I'll take Gesicki or Pitts ... they're both exceptional.
People told me I was wrong about Travis Kelce ... but look at him now. Kid is living up to his potential and in a great offense for him, and doing quite well. I always knew he would.
