Where Does Falcons' Kyle Pitts Rank Among Top Tight Ends?

As he prepares for his third season, where does Atlanta Falcons' tight end Kyle Pitts rank among his peers?

The Pro Bowl isn't an especially exclusive club anymore, but when Atlanta Falcons' tight end Kyle Pitts was selected to the NFL's All-Star Game in his rookie season, he was more than deserving. Pitts caught 68 passes for 1,026 yards after the Falcons selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. 

An elite rookie season from Pitts is what made his second NFL campaign so disappointing, and makes him especially difficult to rank among his peers heading into his third year. 

As recently as last summer, Pitts seemed like he could soon usurp Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs' as the top pass-catching tight end. But after a disappointing second season where he caught 28 passes for 356 yards in 10 games, Pitts was ranked as the No. 10 tight end ahead of the 2023 campaign by CBS Sports: 

"Pitts was one of the more frustrating players to try and place on this list," CBS Sports writes. "From a talent standpoint, he's among the very best at the position and probably should be higher than 10. He was impressive as a rookie and put together a 1,000-yard season out of the gate, but Pitts has gone downhill since so we'll settle on him just sneaking in here." 

In theory, Pitts should benefit from anyone other than Marcus Mariota being the starting quarterback for the bulk of the 2023 season. But second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder is still largely an unknown as he was only asked to manage the game for the final month of his rookie season, tossing two touchdowns and throwing for 708 yards in four starts. 

What's more, Atlanta used the No. 8 overall pick on former Texas standout running back Bijan Robinson. As Robinson joins a backfield that also includes Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson, it's clear that coach Arthur Smith is planning for his offense to be based around the running game. That doesn't mean there won't be targets for Pitts and second-year receiver Drake London, but it's fair to wonder under these circumstances if the tight end will be able to reach his ceiling. 

And if Pitts doesn't bounce back in major way in his third season, it will be increasingly fair to wonder if Atlanta should have drafted him over receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle, among others in an impressive 2021 class. 

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