I feel like this topic needs to be addressed as we very well could draft Kyle Pitts. Who is my preference at #6 in the draft.
Tight ends are not like running backs and wide recivers when it comes to production early on in their carrers.
First example is Veron Davis, who has very similar measurables comming out of college. Davis's start to his career......
Year 1: 20 Rec. 265 Yards. 3 TDs.
Year 2: 52 Rec. 509 Yards. 4 TDs
Second let's look at another Pro who has been compared to Pitts...... Darren Waller.
Year 1: 2 Rec. 18 Yards. 0 TDs
Year 2: 10 Rec. 85 Yards. 2 TDs.
Year 3: 6 Rec. 75 Yards. 0 TDs
Third lets look at Travis Kelcie.
Year 1: 0 Rec. 0 Yards 0 TDs.... only played in 1 game.
One more for s**** and giggles. Jason Witten.
Year 1: 35 Rec. 347 Yards. 1 TD
I'm bringing up this rather alarming metaphoric bucket of cold water, to warn everyone that Pitts may take a year or two to really become the player alot of us think he will be. Its not nessesarly a bad thing, but the Pitts hype train is starting to gain so much momentum that im worried some of our fanbase doesn't realize this very normal aspect about drafting a tight end.
If we take Pitts, we need to be realistic with our expectations early on.
Great Post
@MrChadRico !
It's a well known fact that TE's have one of the hardest, if not THE hardest, transitions from college to the NFL. That's because in college the position is incredibly dumbed down into either an extra OT (the guys you never see hyped in drafts) or oversized Slot WR's (the types you always see over-hyped in drafts). What is asked of an NFL TE in terms of routes and audibles alone is a staggering change for these kids. This early career lack of production is not only normal, it's almost guaranteed. Sure, sometimes a coach can simplify the playbook and only give the rookie 20% of the playbook to learn, and the QB can grit his teeth while the rookie bumbles and stumbles his way through that making all kinds of mistakes and just throw him the ball if he gets open, and you get a rookie year like Jimmy Graham. But those are extremely rare, and fans seldom realize how much the team has sacrificed to make that happen.
Reality is that it takes a year or two for TE's because the position is so much more complex and dynamic than in college. Even the great ones take time nowadays.
The Darren Waller comparison is a great one. Although Pitts is more advanced coming out of college than Waller, that's the type of player Pitts can become when he arrives as a TE. Chances are it'll be in year 2 or 3 though, with muted success as a rookie.
By contrast, the WR position has become extremely complex at the high school and collegiate levels, so they arrive in college far more advanced these days. College coaches can immediately start them with complex route trees and advance from there. So, WR's transition has shortened from 3 years to instant-impact in today's NFL. Even one who needs development only takes 1 year now. But, their blocking assignments are much less and limited to downfield shielding mostly. WR's are never asked to pass protect.
We've lived through that progression with Mike Gesicki, and we're starting to reap the benefits of it. Not saying Gesicki is better than Pitts will become--just saying that Gesicki is already farther advanced along his personal learning curve and closer to that high production phase where our investment pays off. Gesicki was a 2nd round pick, whereas whomever gets Kyle Pitts is likely investing a top 10 pick in the entire draft. Far more is expected of that pick ... eventually. And when he does adjust and reach is production phase ... he'll command a salary at or near the top of the league for his position. When Jimmy Graham was ready to re-sign he had become a super-star and wanted to be paid like a WR instead of a TE ... and it led to him being let go by the Saints and his career cratering with the Seahawks. He was never again spoken about in the same breath as the league's TE's ... merely because his best years were spent in an offense that no longer featured him. So where Kyle Pitts goes will matter.
Anyone doubting Pitts' talent is going to be proven wrong. Anyone expecting that talent to instantly be the star he was in college is going to be disappointed for a while. He'll get there ... but TE's aren't a plug-and-play position, so it'll take a while and it will matter where he lands. We have no Sean Payton in Miami, so if it's here, don't expect instant-stardom, because TE's take a while to adjust.