This is the fourth in a series previewing each position in the April 29-May 1 NFL draft. Todayβs installment looks at tight ends.
The draft drama for Buffalo Bills fans at the tight end position will focus on University of Florida star Kyle Pitts.
If the Bills are fortunate, Pitts wonβt be taken by an AFC East team. Itβs something to worry about, because heβs that good.
βHe is the highest graded tight end ever for me,β says ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
βI think you can make a strong case heβs the best player in the draft,β said NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah. βI just watched all the corners with first, second, third-round draft grades in the SEC, and they canβt cover the guy.β
Pitts has been projected to be picked as high as Atlanta at No. 4, Cincinnati at No. 5 or Miami at No. 6.
Only three tight ends in the past 20 years have been drafted in the top 10 β Kellen Winslow Jr. No. 6 in 2004, Vernon Davis No. 6 in 2006 and T.J. Hockenson No. 8 in 2019.
The best comparison for Pitts might be Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson, aka Megatron. Johnson was 6 feet, 5 inches and 239 pounds with a wingspan of 82 inches. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds. Pitts is 6 feet, 5 5/8 inches and 245 pounds with an 83 3/8 wingspan. He ran the 40 in 4.44.
In eight games for Florida last season, Pitts caught 43 passes for 770 yards (a 17.9-yard average) and 12 touchdowns.
Jeremiah characterized him as a bigger, faster version of Travis Kelce, the Kansas City All-Pro.
βYou watch Kelce and you'll see Kelce run those pivot routes where he's so efficient and doesn't waste any steps,β Jeremiah said. βYou see the same thing with Pitts, and then he has a bigger catch radius to go up over the top of people and make plays. To me it's a matchup that's going to be in your favor every time you line up. The defense can't be right against him no matter what you do. You put big guys out there, he's going to run away from them. You put small guys out there, he's just going to pluck the ball off their heads.β
Kelce is 6 feet, 5 inches and 260 pounds and ran a 4.61 40.
Quarterbacks are expected to go with the top three picks. There is speculation that Atlanta and Cincinnati could trade out with teams looking to get a quarterback in the top five. Pitts likely wonβt last past No. 6.
Overall position rating: 4 of 10.
Bills view: All indications are Dawson Knox is going to be the No. 1 tight end heading into 2021. The Bills arenβt taking a tight end at No. 30. The Bills signed veteran Jacob Hollister in free agency. He takes the spot of Tyler Kroft. Also still in the fold are Tommy Sweeney and Nate Becker. Lee Smith is gone. There is room for another tight end prospect. The Bills played 12 personnel (two-TEs) just 7.8% of the snaps last season, according to News charts. They probably would like to increase that figure a bit. The Bills easily could take a tight end between the second and fifth rounds.
Bills need ranking: 7 of 10.
The best: Pitts.
Names to know: The Bills like complete tight ends who have blocking ability, not just glorified slot receivers. Notre Dameβs Tommy Tremble would be a great fit for the Bills in the third round. Heβs the best blocker among the top TE prospects. Heβs 6 feet, 3 inches and 241 pounds and a great finisher in the run game. Heβs a raw receiver, little used in the pass game. He had 19 catches with no TDs in 2020 and 16 catches with four TDs in 2019. But heβs athletic, with a good 40 time (4.60 to 4.64) and a 36.5-inch vertical jump. Knox ran 4.55 with a 34.5-inch jump.
Penn Stateβs Pat Freiermuth, the second best tight end, isnβt a game-breaker but looks like he will be a solid NFL starter. Good-case scenario, heβs Hunter Henry. Boston Collegeβs Hunter Long is a solid, possession-receiving TE with low upside. Miamiβs Brevin Jordan is a big slot receiver. Yards after catch is his strength, but heβs not an in-line player.
Tough call: Scouts will have to earn their money going back to 2018 and 2019 tape on Georgiaβs Treβ McKitty. Heβs a tough evaluation. He was targeted only 10 times in 2020 and caught six passes. A transfer from Florida State, he was mostly a dump-off option without a lot of blocking for the Seminoles, catching 49 passes the previous two years.
Blockers: If the draft doesnβt fall the Billsβ way at tight end, two late-rounders or undrafted prospects who are short-yardage blockers are Artayvious Lynn of TCU and Dylan Soehner of Iowa State. Virginiaβs Tony Poljan, who draws comparisons with ex-Bill Smith, is a third-day guy who is a good blocker and caught 38 passes in 2020.
TOP 10 TIGHT ENDS
1. Kyle Pitts*, Florida 6-5 5-8, 245
2. Pat Freiermuth*, Penn State 6-5, 251
3. Tommy Tremble*, Notre Dame 6-3, 241
4. Brevin Jordan*, Miami 6-2, 247
5. Hunter Long*, Boston College 6-5, 254
6. Treβ McKitty, Georgia 6-4, 247
7. John Bates, Boise St. 6-5, 259
8. Kenny Yeboah, Ole Miss 6-4, 247
9. Tony Poljan, Virginia 6-6 3-4 251.
10. Noah Gray, Duke 6-3, 240
