When I see Pitts I don’t see a TE, I see T.O

[Parcells4Life]

Watching Pitts highlights I see a stud that can make all the catches. However I also see him running free and not having much physicality in his way.

He’s only a split TE/WR IMO, ala TO. You’d never use him as an inline blocker. Guys like DLaw would destroy him at that weight.

So you’re not drafting a TE, you’re drafting a WR. We already have 3 plus Jarwin.

Pitts is going to get jammed and pushed at the line and it is going to greatly take away from this superhuman idea.

 

[waving monkey]

Watching Pitts highlights I see a stud that can make all the catches. However I also see him running free and not having much physicality in his way.

He’s only a split TE/WR IMO, ala TO. You’d never use him as an inline blocker. Guys like DLaw would destroy him at that weight.

So you’re not drafting a TE, you’re drafting a WR. We already have 3 plus Jarwin.

Pitts is going to get jammed and pushed at the line and it is going to greatly take away from this superhuman idea.

I understand that but he is a force

 

[darthseinfeld]

Watching Pitts highlights I see a stud that can make all the catches. However I also see him running free and not having much physicality in his way.

He’s only a split TE/WR IMO, ala TO. You’d never use him as an inline blocker. Guys like DLaw would destroy him at that weight.

So you’re not drafting a TE, you’re drafting a WR. We already have 3 plus Jarwin.

Pitts is going to get jammed and pushed at the line and it is going to greatly take away from this superhuman idea.

Pitts plays inline alot at Florida though. He has good arm length and puts a good effort in blocking, he just needs to add more strength. Pitts definitely isn't strickly a slot TE

 

[Future]

He's good enough as a blocker. There's no TE who is going to block DLaw and can also be a receiving threat.

 

[jterrell]

Watching Pitts highlights I see a stud that can make all the catches. However I also see him running free and not having much physicality in his way.

He’s only a split TE/WR IMO, ala TO. You’d never use him as an inline blocker. Guys like DLaw would destroy him at that weight.

So you’re not drafting a TE, you’re drafting a WR. We already have 3 plus Jarwin.

Pitts is going to get jammed and pushed at the line and it is going to greatly take away from this superhuman idea.

Dez Bryant.
He isn't a 4.3 guy like T.O or Moss but he has insane body control and strength with long arms and strong hands.
He's a good blocker for a slot/hback type and is a massive red zone threat but can be derailed by redirection at the line.
But you are 100% correct in the usage/defensive response.
If he goes to Philly he'll be their slot/hback and Dallas will ask the DE to hit him every play he is lined up inline. If he goes to the slot they are going to ask someone like Keanu Neal to check him at the line and slow him down.
He will require accounting for every ply but he won't immediately be a stud unless the offense is willing to play him as it;'s move guy and use him outside and on the move to create 1 v 1s as a primary target.

Dallas has Amari, CeeDee, Zeke, Gallup, Jarwin.... they don't need another weapon. They need mostly defense and either more blocking or better fortune with health.

People keep saying the same goofy things over and over. Like we will just trade Gallup....
Gallup will net you maybe an R3. He's a 1 year rental as is an might not even net you that.
For that trade off in your 4th best weapon you are swapping pick 10 for an R4 to move CeeDee outside to Gallup's spot and Pit6ts inside into CeeDees.
No. Just no.
Terrible use of roster building resources.
Same reason Dallas wouldn't draft a QB at 10.

 

[cnuball21]

He's actually led all TE's in contested catches since 2014...he's good at getting wide open and making contested catches.

There also isn't a TE in football that can block Dlaw.

 

[jterrell]

Pitts plays inline alot at Florida though. He has good arm length and puts a good effort in blocking, he just needs to add more strength. Pitts definitely isn't strickly a slot TE

No, they calculate his hback off the ball time as "in-line" and it was still only 50%.
If you watch his film his playmaking is immense but also limited to plays where he gets free release inside or is versus a CB much much smaller than him.
He looks as much like Aaron Hernandez as anyone I've ever seen play.
He has considerable WR skill but he doesn't lose top CB
He had two catches on Surtain. Horn never gave up more than 65 yards in a single game so Pitts didn't eat him up either.
BUT you let him run and at the point of the catch he is bigger, and better than the guy competing for the ball.
I have compared him to peak Dez Bryant.
Slot guys are mostly smaller players. 5'10" types who are shifty, can tackle and handle two way goes.
Pitts inside versus those players would be an insane nightmare match up for defenses.
So they'd have to scuttle the plan and put a big box safety or LB on him.

BUT if they actually line him up inside you have your DE hit him every play. You run them right through him. It just slows him down enough to not get anywhere into a real pattern.
If I am Dallas DC I'd put Jaylon on him. Have Jaylon hit him hard at the LOS. Means there is no real read for Jaylon and gives him a job he can do. Be a bully for about 3-4 seconds.

Pitts will eventually grow into an inline TE but I don't think that will be this year or maybe even next.
You look at guys like Evan Engram and that is where Pitts is day 1.
He may get to a Kelce like 260 but that is a a few years away.

 

[jrumann59]

No, they calculate his hback off the ball time as "in-line" and it was still only 50%.
If you watch his film his playmaking is immense but also limited to plays where he gets free release inside or is versus a CB much much smaller than him.
He looks as much like Aaron Hernandez as anyone I've ever seen play.
He has considerable WR skill but he doesn't lose top CB
He had two catches on Surtain. Horn never gave up more than 65 yards in a single game so Pitts didn't eat him up either.
BUT you let him run and at the point of the catch he is bigger, and better than the guy competing for the ball.
I have compared him to peak Dez Bryant.
Slot guys are mostly smaller players. 5'10" types who are shifty, can tackle and handle two way goes.
Pitts inside versus those players would be an insane nightmare match up for defenses.
So they'd have to scuttle the plan and put a big box safety or LB on him.

BUT if they actually line him up inside you have your DE hit him every play. You run them right through him. It just slows him down enough to not get anywhere into a real pattern.
If I am Dallas DC I'd put Jaylon on him. Have Jaylon hit him hard at the LOS. Means there is no real read for Jaylon and gives him a job he can do. Be a bully for about 3-4 seconds.

Pitts will eventually grow into an inline TE but I don't think that will be this year or maybe even next.
You look at guys like Evan Engram and that is where Pitts is day 1.
He may get to a Kelce like 260 but that is a a few years away.

The worry then is if he grow into a inline TE he will lose some of his speed and other things weight/strength gain gives him. You would have to use him like Saints used Graham.

 

[jterrell]

The worry then is if he grow into a inline TE he will lose some of his speed and other things weight/strength gain gives him. You would have to use him like Saints used Graham.

Obviously the "hope" is he can become Gronk. Just add a ton of strength and keep all those WR skills.
And guys do add weight/strength as they age generally.
But Gronk literally lived in a powerlifting gym growing up.
That's what his family did for a business essentially.

I think you have to be careful because he could be Vernon Davis.

The reality may well be more like Davis early then growing into an Antonio Gates like guy.

I think a team has to draft him with a plan to maximize him. You are taking him top 10 so you nee dot make him a priority in your offense and be willing to shift it to accommodate him.

In Dallas IF the GM drafted him and handed him to me with this roster he would become my TE2, my WR4, my h-back. I think he'd be impactful, especially in the red zone but I'm just not sure I could get pick 10 worth out of him early on.
Nasty weapon indeed.

I would love a Ferrari. A Lambo too.
But if I have a Ferrari and then I'm given the choice between a Lambo or a top of the line Ram 1500 I'd take the truck.
Can't haul appliances or pull a boat in a Lambo. (or Ferrari).

 

[Rockport]

Watching Pitts highlights I see a stud that can make all the catches. However I also see him running free and not having much physicality in his way.

He’s only a split TE/WR IMO, ala TO. You’d never use him as an inline blocker. Guys like DLaw would destroy him at that weight.

So you’re not drafting a TE, you’re drafting a WR. We already have 3 plus Jarwin.

Pitts is going to get jammed and pushed at the line and it is going to greatly take away from this superhuman idea.

I hope he's not a TO type character wise as well.

 

[WillieBeamen]

So you see a top-3 WR or all-time?



Sign me up

 

[CouchCoach]

No team is drafting Pitts to be the conventional TE anymore than Belichick drafted Gronkowski for or picked up Hunter Henry for and Gronkowski learned to block after several years in the league.

He will be picked as a weapon, one that will be a very difficult matchup for most teams.

He has better hands than Owens. Pitts is more the Randy Moss of TE's.

 

[jterrell]

No team is drafting Pitts to be the conventional TE anymore than Belichick drafted Gronkowski for or picked up Hunter Henry for and Gronkowski learned to block after several years in the league.

He will be picked as a weapon, one that will be a very difficult matchup for most teams.

He has better hands than Owens. Pitts is more the Randy Moss of TE's.

no, no, no. please don't do this.
this is where it all goes off the rails.

Pitts is a unicorn and he has elite hands.
But he is not Randy Moss...
Randy Moss ran a 4.25 at 6'4". That is a once in a lifetime combo.
Moss was the hardest outside WR cover in the HISTORY of the game with that size/speed combo.

Pitts is a special talent but people always take it too far.
He caught 43 passes last year.
That's not all that great.

 

[jterrell]

no, no, no. please don't do this.
this is where it all goes off the rails.

Pitts is a unicorn and he has elite hands.
But he is not Randy Moss...
Randy Moss ran a 4.25 at 6'4". That is a once in a lifetime combo.
Moss was the hardest outside WR cover in the HISTORY of the game with that size/speed combo.

Pitts is a special talent but people always take it too far.
He caught 43 passes last year.
That's not all that great.

By comparison Randy Moss played 1 year of college football and he caught 96 passes for 1820 yards and 26 TDs.

 

[Malhavoc]

Pitts is special but the Moss comparisons are nuts.

 

[RonnieT24]

no, no, no. please don't do this.
this is where it all goes off the rails.

Pitts is a unicorn and he has elite hands.
But he is not Randy Moss...
Randy Moss ran a 4.25 at 6'4". That is a once in a lifetime combo.
Moss was the hardest outside WR cover in the HISTORY of the game with that size/speed combo.

Pitts is a special talent but people always take it too far.
He caught 43 passes last year.
That's not all that great.

You left the "in 8 games" part. You also left out the 12 TDs in 8 games part. The dude had more TDs than games played.. I think it's a mistake to compare him to anybody who has come before because I honestly cannot think of another tight end who did in college what Pitts did. The kid's a touchdown scoring machine. He can take it to the house from anywhere on the field and can go over top of guys in the red zone. Not just corners.. ANYBODY you put on him. He's 6'6" with speed, hands and hops. He went for 129 yards on 7 receptions and TD against Bama in the SEC championship. Dude's a baller.. I'm not saying you CAN'T pass on him.. but I am saying you'll probably regret it unless you get a hall of fame defender instead.

 

[DFWJC]

Watching Pitts highlights I see a stud that can make all the catches. However I also see him running free and not having much physicality in his way.

He’s only a split TE/WR IMO, ala TO. You’d never use him as an inline blocker. Guys like DLaw would destroy him at that weight.

So you’re not drafting a TE, you’re drafting a WR. We already have 3 plus Jarwin.

Pitts is going to get jammed and pushed at the line and it is going to greatly take away from this superhuman idea.

With way better hands.

But yes! If he wanted to list himself as a WR he could. And as some analysts have been saying, he would be in the conversation as the best WR in the draft as well as TE.

 

[RonnieT24]

By comparison Randy Moss played 1 year of college football and he caught 96 passes for 1820 yards and 26 TDs.

You left out "against the MAC." the mighty Akron Zips.. Miami of Ohio , Toledo, Bowling Green, Every direction of Michigan Eastern, Western, Southern.. Come on man..

 

[superonyx]

I'm just not sold on him. I can't help but get the feeling that he is just a big WR who was lucky to play for a college program that exploited the college game by lining him up as a TE.
I feel that most offensive success in the NFL comes from the unpredictability factor and having a big WR in the game disguised as a TE makes you predictable. Not much chance you are running the ball to his side if he is lined up as a TE.

Maybe this is the direction the league is moving. I'm just personally not sold on him being special yet. I feel like you can find other big WR's you can convert to this hybrid role and save the top 10 draft pick..... if this is the direction you want to go.

 

[jrumann59]

Obviously the "hope" is he can become Gronk. Just add a ton of strength and keep all those WR skills.
And guys do add weight/strength as they age generally.
But Gronk literally lived in a powerlifting gym growing up.
That's what his family did for a business essentially.

I think you have to be careful because he could be Vernon Davis.

The reality may well be more like Davis early then growing into an Antonio Gates like guy.

I think a team has to draft him with a plan to maximize him. You are taking him top 10 so you nee dot make him a priority in your offense and be willing to shift it to accommodate him.

In Dallas IF the GM drafted him and handed him to me with this roster he would become my TE2, my WR4, my h-back. I think he'd be impactful, especially in the red zone but I'm just not sure I could get pick 10 worth out of him early on.
Nasty weapon indeed.

I would love a Ferrari. A Lambo too.
But if I have a Ferrari and then I'm given the choice between a Lambo or a top of the line Ram 1500 I'd take the truck.
Can't haul appliances or pull a boat in a Lambo. (or Ferrari).

There is nothing wrong with any of that. He is just not the type of TE used in Dallas scheme. Jarwin is a poor mans version of this guy and he is still expected to block on the line. Pitts could end up Gates/Graham or he could end as Ebron or Engram or he could be an above average journeyman