Miami Gardens, FLA -- In the NFL, actions speak louder than words. And in the case of Kyle Pitts, that's a good thing.
Falcons coach Arthur Smith was asked twice about Pitts during his press briefing just after his team's first day of joint practices with the Dolphins in Miami Gardens, and both times he opted to speak highly of his entire group of receivers and not get into specifics with Pitts.
"He's done a nice job with what we've thrown at him so far," was about as much as Smith offered.
The on-field actions are a different story. A better story. And, frankly, the exact kind of story we need to justify drafting Pitts ... at least until he does something in the preseason.
He's as tall and as quick as advertised -- 6-foot-5 5/8, 245 pounds with straight-line speed registering at 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash. And he's a bear for a defender to deal with in the passing game.
"He's a receiver, basically," Dolphins safety Eric Rowe said after covering him through the first of two practices this week. "He's long. He can move. I know he's going to cause problems."
The problems for defenses begin before the snap. Pitts lined up in the slot, out wide, on the left side, on the right side, in-line like a traditional tight end, just behind the right tackle like a non-traditional tight end, and in the backfield like a fullback. He also frequently ran in motion before the snap to help his quarterback, usually Matt Ryan, figure out what kind of defense the Dolphins were playing.
That was just Thursday.
After the snap, Pitts moved really well for a guy his size. He's not thick like George Kittle, but he's tall with long arms and large hands. He was also quick in and out of his breaks to help him get open. That combination made him impossible to stop on a quick in-breaking slant when he gained leverage over a defender on Thursday.
There's some inconsistency with how well he fared against press coverage; sometimes he struggled to break free, but other times he'd make a move to get open and ditch his coverage. That seemed to be the case in team drills when he broke past a defender into open space in the end zone for a touchdown.
He also made this play in 1-on-1 drills Wednesday.
Competition heating up in Florida ☀️@kylepitts__ pic.twitter.com/OVy5GmEjTz
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) August 18, 2021
In fact, one place Pitts is getting a lot of attention from Ryan is in the end zone. He nearly had two scores in practice reps, even corralling a bobble, but his feet didn't come down in bounds. He was 0 for 3 early on in practice against Rowe, a day after he had more success scoring in similar drills. Don't worry about Thursday's practice results; this is an obvious area where Pitts will be utilized.
But defenses won't just let Pitts score. On many occasions on Thursday, perhaps in reaction to his work on Wednesday, the Dolphins actually bracketed Pitts with a cornerback in zone coverage in front of him and a safety behind him. It's probably the kind of defensive look Pitts will see a lot of this season as defenses opt to just try and keep the entire Falcons offense in front of him.
This is where Arthur Smith's brilliance as a playcaller comes in for the Falcons. In two years with the Titans, Smith found clever ways to utilize his tight ends, primarily Jonnu Smith. Jonnu Smith lined up all over the field and played with uncommon speed and athleticism for his size. Though his target volume rarely impressed, he was a constant factor in the red zone. Last year, Jonnu Smith finished tied for fourth-most red-zone targets among tight ends, second in red-zone touchdowns and tied for first in touchdowns from inside of 5 yards. That's a byproduct of Arthur Smith's resourcefulness.
And now Arthur Smith has Pitts, who is at least as good of an athlete as Jonnu Smith (both had tremendous SPARQ scores according to PlayerProfiler.com), but on a team that won't stick to running the football like the Titans. Pitts should be better in terms of contested catches and route running, and he should see a much higher target share than Jonnu Smith ever did because the Falcons don't currently have the same kind of offensive line or run game that the Titans had.
To bet on Pitts is to trust Arthur Smith and Matt Ryan, a duo as good as any to create and come through with opportunities for the rookie. It's true that first-year tight ends tend to struggle, but Pitts isn't a typical tight end. In fact, after watching him barely do any blocking during Thursday's practice, it's fair to say he's not really a tight end.
He's a wide receiver who you can start at tight end in Fantasy. Kinda like what Rowe said.
When you watch Pitts for the rest of the preseason, keep an eye on how he does against different coverages, and if he's Ryan's primary target on third downs or red-zone plays. The more we see of that, the more we can buy into him.
Figure there will be at least two Fantasy managers in every draft who want to have fun and take the big fella as soon as Round 4. Given some of the other players who are on the board in that range, it feels too high to take Pitts then. But a round later is when Pitts feels safer to take -- right before you get into the hodge-podge of questionable running backs in late Round 5.
Arthur Smith might not say a whole lot when asked a question by the media, but his dedication to adaptability is true. You should expect him to find special ways to utilize Pitts in the Falcons offense.
