2021 Comprehensive Draft Thread

[Skinsinparadise]

15 hours ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

What are the chances that Morgan's move to the left side could offer a long term fix?  It'd make it a lot easier to find a second starting OT.

 

I agree. I made similar comments on another thread.  He has have the length to play LT and played it in college.

 

On another note, I've seen some momentum building for Slater, I got to watch him soon

 

 

 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

I know the notion of you don't take TEs in the first round.  But man every time I watch UF, which is often, Kyle Pitts kills it.

 

I've watched a lot of TEs in the last two drafts, I'd guess about 40, so my sample size is big.  None of them match Pitts' explosiveness. 

 

I get the whole TEs take time to mature and they can be found later in the draft.  I agree with that.  But Pitts reminds me of a more explosve Engram.  And Engram made a fast impact.   Noah Fant has made a dent and IMO he's not nearly as explosve as Pitts.

 

I know its an unpopular opinion on this thread with some.  And that's cool.  to each their own.  But especially if we are picking 19 or so, if they took Fant I'd be a happy dude.  I am not saying he's my top desire in that range.  It's too early for me to say that.  But I've studied Pitts and watched him in real time enough to feel really confident in that dude making an impact and fast in the NFL.  He's a matchup nightmare.  He's like Jordan Reed but with real speed which Jordan didn't have.  

 

Pitts moves like a receiver and is also the rare TE with breakaway speed. 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by Skinsinparadise

[max21]

3 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

I know the notion of you don't take TEs in the first round.  But man every time I watch UF, which is often, Kyle Pitts kills it.

 

I've watched a lot of TEs in the last two drafts, I'd guess about 40, so my sample size is big.  None of them match Pitss explosiveness. 

 

I get the whole TEs take time to mature and they can be found later in the draft.  I agree with that.   Reminds me of a more explosve Engram.  And Engram made a fast impact.   Noah Fant has made a dent and IMO he's not nearly as explosve as Pitts.

 

I know its an unpopular opinion on this thread with some.  And that's cool.  to each their own.  But especially if we are picking 19 or so, if they took Fant I'd be a happy dude.  I am not saying he's my top desire in that range.  That's too early for me to say.  But I've studied Pitts and watched him in real time enough to feel really confident in that dude making an impact and fast. 

 

 

 

 

Just watched that play live, dude is good. Looks like a WR to me, he will make any offense better. Doubt he lasts past the top 15. Didn’t realize he was so tall at 6’6”

[KDawg]

Just now, max21 said:

Just watched that play live, dude is good. Looks like a WR to me, he will make any offense better. Doubt he lasts past the top 15. Didn’t realize he was so tall at 6’6”

This is just it for me. Pitts is a tight end in name only. Dude is a slot receiver.

[Skinsinparadise]

https://www.tampabay.com/sports/gators/2020/10/02/why-floridas-kyle-pitts-is-the-perfect-mismatch-maker-for-dan-mullen/

 

 

If Florida coach Dan Mullen knew Kyle Pitts was destined for stardom when he signed him as part of his first recruiting class, he didn’t say so. Mullen never mentioned the four-star tight end by name in his 2017 early signing day news conference.

Mullen did, however, outline the philosophy that turned the raw Pennsylvania native into one of the best players in the country heading into Saturday’s game against South Carolina.

“The biggest thing to me … is the position flexibility,” Mullen said. “What I want to do, and what we want both offensively and defensively, is to create mismatches out there on the field.”

 

And Pitts looks like one of the biggest mismatches Mullen has had since Percy Harvin was a do-it-all superstar on the Gators' 2006 and 2008 national title teams.

Pitts isn’t as speedy as Harvin, but the 6-foot-6, 246-pound junior is too big and strong to be covered by defensive backs and too quick to be guarded by anyone else. In his 170-yard, four-touchdown game last weekend at Ole Miss, Pitts fooled an edge rusher, ran past linebackers, overpowered a cornerback, shook off a nickelback and outleapt a safety — all while blocking effectively on some of the Gators' best runs.

Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts stiff-arms an Ole Miss linebacker during his 71-yard touchdown last weekend.

“He’s kind of a unicorn, right?” Mullen said.

 

The Gators knew by Pitts' first spring that he had unicorn potential. He just wasn’t ready as a blocker yet, which is why he spent most of the 2018 season flexed out as a receiver.

The experience there refined his fundamentals and allowed him to pick the brain of Van Jefferson, an ultra-polished receiver who’s now with the Rams. During practice before the Peach Bowl, Pitts — then a freshman with three career catches — ran a route so well that he almost made one of his teammates fall.

“I was like, ‘Man, he’s going to be really good in the future,’” Jefferson said then.

Pitts was really good last season. On a team that sent four receivers to the NFL, none caught more balls than Pitts (54).

But his performance in No. 3 UF’s opener was on another level.

“It was just a matter of him kind of growing into the position,” offensive coordinator Brian Johnson said.

 

Once Pitts improved his blocking and picked up the system’s nuances, he could become the embodiment of the position flexibility Mullen craves.

 

Lined up as a traditional tight end near the tackle, Pitts can block; he sealed the outside to open up a running lane for Emory Jones' 22-yard rush in the second half last week. Or he can start to block before slipping into the flat, as he did for a fourth-catch that picked up a first down.

 

Pitts' reps at receiver allow him to continue flexing out wide, by himself or with someone else. That’s a mismatch, too.

Kyle Pitts scored this touchdown by outjumping a pair of safeties. [ 

When the Rebels tried to defend him with a nickelback, Pitts shed him for a diving touchdown catch. When they tried to double him with a pair of safeties, Pitts leapt over them in the end zone for another score. When they tried to jam him with a cornerback, he used his strength to fight through that, too.

Pitts' favorite, though?

“I always dream of me one-on-one against a linebacker,” he said.

 

That’s what happened on the most impressive play of the day, when he sped past one of them to get open and stiff-armed him on his way for a 71-yard touchdown. It’s the kind of highlight NFL teams will be raving about as they evaluate him as a potential top-10 pick in next spring’s draft.

For now, though, Pitts remains the kind of player Mullen dreamed about on signing day — a unicorn with the position flexibility to create mismatches all over the field.

[max21]

5 minutes ago, KDawg said:

This is just it for me. Pitts is a tight end in name only. Dude is a slot receiver.

I get kind of confused when I see TEs that play like him, we could just develop a Gandy-Golden type wideout to play TE. Same thing we did with Niles Paul, though Paul didn’t have this skill set 

[Skinsinparadise]

14 minutes ago, KDawg said:

This is just it for me. Pitts is a tight end in name only. Dude is a slot receiver.

 

He needs to improve his blocking no doubt but that seems to be on his agenda and he certainly has the size for it.  He's not one of these tweener TEs.  

 

The dude is such a monster.  He seperates well, is slippery, has double moves similar to a a stud receiver, his super good hands, is explosive with the ball in his hands. 

 

One of my gauges as to whether I love a player is how would I feel if a division rival grabbed him.  And yeah I'd hate to see him on Dallas or NY, etc. 

 

It's a different position but watching Pitts reminds me some of how I felt about Dalvin Cook when i watched his college games.   I kept saying on the draft thread back then he's so tough to ignore because he seemed like a man among boys whenever I watched Florida State.  I feel the same way about Pitts.  I think the dude will be a star in the NFL. 

 

 

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/florida-gators/os-sp-gators-football-kyle-pitts-1002-20201001-j7qefy756bgjzlljgkubgxibju-story.html

Gators TE Kyle Pitts ramped up work during shutdown to become unstoppable

GAINESVILLE — When the coronavirus shut down sports and college campuses, Florida tight end Kyle Pitts did not return home to Philadelphia.

He went on a quest to get better.

Being the best tight end in the SEC was not good enough for Pitts. Being the 2019 Gators’ leading pass catcher was a far cry from being a complete player.

Pitts' push to improve took him to train in Atlanta, where he sculpted his body and refined his route running.

 

“Being heavy, being able to run routes, block, being a three-down end … that’s what’s gonna help you get to the next level,” said Pitts, now a junior.

Saturday’s matchup between the No. 3 Gators (1-0) and defensive-minded Will Muschamp’s Game****s (0-1) could demonstrate how far Pitts has come. During UF’s 38-27 come-from-behind road win against South Carolina in October 2019, Pitts managed just five catches for 29 yards, though he did catch the game-clinching score.

Pitts has come a long way during the past 12 months

Looking to improve the one hole in his game — in-line blocking — Pitts packed on eight pounds of muscle during four weeks working with Reza Hesam of Athletic Development & Performance Therapy in Atlanta.

It was clear to Hesam at first glance that Pitts was a rare physical specimen.

“He looks like a basketball player,” Hesam said. “What stood out is how big he is and how well he moves — as far as quickness, speed. It’s really impressive to see someone who is 6-6 move that well, at that position.”

Pitts soon was off and running following some flexibility tests, a discussion about his goals and some nutritional advice.

“A 20-year-old kid doesn’t know how to eat,” Hesam said.

Pitts needed little time to make massive strength gains while adding the bulk he sought. He now can do six repetitions of 315 pounds on the bench press — formerly his maximum lift — and can deadlift 545 pounds and squat lift 495 pounds three times each.

Those are impressive numbers for a 6-foot-6 skill player, Hesam said. Just ask the Ole Miss linebacker Pitts stiff-armed en route to a 71-yard touchdown.

The gains made in four weeks with Hesam also are a testament to Pitts' commitment to his craft.

“People keep labeling him as a receiver-tight end, but he’s telling himself he needs to bulk up, he needs to block,” said Stephon Brown, who coaches receivers at Topshelf Performance in Atlanta. “That’s the difference with him; You can’t find many guys who can do what he does in the receiving game, but want to get better in the run game.”

Brown met Pitts while working with Hesam and offered his and his brother T.J.'s services to the Gators tight end.

Pitts did not have much room for improvement as a route runner, Brown said, but there were a few fine points to address.

A session or two in Atlanta and a three-day weekend this past summer in Gainesville gave Pitts another step on the competition.

“Kyle was already a great route runner,” Brown said. "I just had him work on top of his routes, showing him tricks to get off press coverage, how to read coverages. He just had to work on controlling his speed in his routes, just to come out more smoothly.

“For him to be as big as he is and as strong and fast, it was an easy transition for him.”

This past Saturday, Hasem and Brown each saw their handiwork in action, though neither claims an ounce of credit for the SEC titan Pitts has become.

“Kyle was going to do that anyways,” Hasem said. "I don’t think I’m the reason he did that, but it was awesome to see how strong he looked and how good he feels at that weight.

Edited November 28, 2020 by Skinsinparadise

[KDawg]

I’m not against adding Pitts, for the record. At 19 his value as a receiver is worth that pick. He is a matchup nightmare. 
 

I just wish we had a better name for him and guys like Brevin Jordan. 

[Skinsinparadise]

7 minutes ago, max21 said:

I get kind of confused when I see TEs that play like him, we could just develop a Gandy-Golden type wideout to play TE. Same thing we did with Niles Paul, though Paul didn’t have this skill set 

 

Neither dude has Pitts size, speed, explosion IMO.  I could be wrong but Pitts to me right now screams star in the NFL.  I didn't get that vibe watching Gandy Golden albiet I like him. 

[Skinsinparadise]

8 minutes ago, KDawg said:

I’m not against adding Pitts, for the record. At 19 his value as a receiver is worth that pick. He is a matchup nightmare. 
 

I just wish we had a better name for him and guys like Brevin Jordan. 

 

For me if I am looking for two things from a TE who isn't that good of a blocker yet its:

 

A.  Willingness 

B.  Size

 

When I watched Jordan Reed with coaches tape (and I posed some of the clips at the time) you can see he wanted nothing to do with blocking.  

 

Pitts at least based on what I am reading is committed to getting better at it.  And a player who is 6"6 and is pushing 250 pounds certaintly has the size.  I don't get the sense from what I've read that Pitts likes the idea of being considering an Engram/Jordan Reed all receiver style TE.  I think that's half the battle to improve.  I didn't get the sense that Reed gave a rats behind about being considered a well rounded TE.  I recall reading about his off seasons and they tended to center on him improving his explosion as a receiver unless I misrecall. 

Edited November 28, 2020 by Skinsinparadise

[KDawg]

2 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

For me if I am looking for two things from a TE who isn't that good of a blocker yet its:

 

A.  Willingness 

B.  Size

 

When I watched Jordan Reed with coaches tape (and I posed some of the clips at the time) you can see he wanted nothing to do with blocking.  

 

Pitts at least based on what I am reading is committed to getting better at it.  And a player who is 6"6 and is pushing 250 pounds certaintly has the size.  I don't get the sense from what I've read that Pitts likes the idea of being considering an Engram/Jordan Reed all receiver style TE.  I think that's half the battle to improve.  I didn't get the sense that Reed gave a rats behind about being considered a well rounded TE.  I recall reading about his off seasons and they tended to center on him improving his explosion as a receiver unless I misrecall. 

You could be right. But his blocking, despite that article, really leaves a lot to be desired. His receiving is on point.

[CurseReversed]

17 hours ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

What are the chances that Morgan's move to the left side could offer a long term fix?  It'd make it a lot easier to find a second starting OT.

I was just thinking this.  Could be an ideal situation that allows the team to draft LB in the first and go mid round for right tackle.

[max21]

There is a UK running back with the last name Smoke. What a cool ass last name hope they draft him 

[mhd24]

I don’t think Pitts lasts to potentially 19.  

[Skinsinparadise]

20 minutes ago, KDawg said:

You could be right. But his blocking, despite that article, really leaves a lot to be desired. His receiving is on point.

 

No doubt.  Ditto Brevin Jordan who IMO is an even worse blocker.  But I like that fact that Pitts has bulked up in part to improve on that front and its on his radar screen. 

 

Having said that, whenever I hype a player in a middle of a game they tend to disappear for a stretch afterwards.   I guess i am a jinx.  😀

Just now, mhd24 said:

I don’t think Pitts lasts to potentially 19.  

There could be a run on left tackles and receivers around that range which is possible.   Few thought Ceede Lamb would drop as far as he did to Dallas but in the end he did.  It's unlikely for Pitts to last to 19 but possible IMO. 

[mhd24]

CB is a low key potential need for us.  Moreau and Darby are FAs.  I could see CB being the first round pick

[Skinsinparadise]

My other UF man crush Kadarious Toney with a big special teams play.  

 

 

4 minutes ago, mhd24 said:

CB is a low key potential need for us.  Moreau and Darby are FAs.  I could see CB being the first round pick

 

there are some guys who can be in the range we pick if its in the 15-20 range.  maybe Surtain drops that far though I am guessing not.  Stokes, Samuel Jr. Farley, etc. 

[Going Commando]

Freirmuth got surgery and is ruled out for the rest of the season.  Maybe that means he'll go back for his senior season, but if he comes out, this is a potential Gronkowski-like value pick situation.

[PartyPosse]

32 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

32 minutes ago, mhd24 said:

 

There could be a run on left tackles and receivers around that range which is possible.   Few thought Ceede Lamb would drop as far as he did to Dallas but in the end he did.  It's unlikely for Pitts to last to 19 but possible IMO. 

I don’t think there’s gonna be a run on anything. I don’t think there’s a dominant position in this draft outside of QB. 

[Skinsinparadise]

2 minutes ago, PartyPosse said:

I don’t think there’s gonna be a run on anything. I don’t think there’s a dominant position in this draft outside of QB. 

 

Typically corners and tackles can go early.  I can see a bunch of them taken in the 10-20 range.  

Edited November 28, 2020 by Skinsinparadise

[Skinsinparadise]

i wasn't much of a Trask guy before today and watching today makes me want to double down on the take of what I feel watching him....Maybe i'll regret this take later. 😀

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Warhead36]

Too many first round TEs are just bigger slower receivers who can't block. I want a guy in the mid rounds like Kelce or Kittle who are all around.

[Skinsinparadise]

21 minutes ago, Warhead36 said:

Too many first round TEs are just bigger slower receivers who can't block. I want a guy in the mid rounds like Kelce or Kittle who are all around.

 

 Pitts to me looks like a receiver not a slower version of one.  The dude IMO will be a stud.  I've watched probably more TEs in the last 2 drafts than any other position.  Pitts to my eyes doesn't blend into just being another in a series of previous good receiving TEs -- he looks to me as the best receiving TE i've seen in a long time.    As i am typing this he just recorded his third TD today.  I get the theory people have about TEs and I share many of those same theories.  But watching the actual player quite a bit -- i throw that theory out the window but that's just me.

 

 

 

 

But to play along with your point, my fav so far of the ones I watched who might fall to the mid rounds is 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by Skinsinparadise

[PartyPosse]

26 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

Typically corners and tackles can go early.  I can see a bunch of them taken in the 10-20 range.  

Are there any dominant CB? I know Surtain, Samuel and Farley are the early ones but I know guys like Jobe and Wade have killed their stock and others like Stokes and Marco Wilson are late day 2 maybe.

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

4 minutes ago, PartyPosse said:

Are there any dominant CB? I know Surtain, Samuel and Farley are the early ones but I know guys like Jobe and Wade have killed their stock and others like Stokes and Marco Wilson are late day 2 maybe.

 

I don't think you have to be a dominant CB to go in the mid first.  It's a premium position typically.  And you got potentially a bunch stacked up pretty close to each other IMO where I can see if one goes other teams grab theirs early.  Ditto LT in this draft.  i can see the 10-20 range be the sweet spot for both -- more so LT and than CB.  The run on CB could be more late first but typically the CBs go faster than the mock draft types predict.    The other sneaky postions IMO in this draft might be DL  and edge rusher.  I can see a bunch going in that range. 

Edited November 28, 2020 by Skinsinparadise