Kyle Pitts is AJ Green as a tight end.

[Murdock2420]

(02-12-2021, 11:18 AM)ochocincos Wrote: While I don't disagree with you that TEs can be found after Rd 1 (as you indicate, plenty have), you make it sound like the 1st round TEs are terrible and so many of the guys after are great.

Irv Smith - 311 yards, 2 TDs in 2019. 365 yards, 5 TDs in 2020. I wouldn't call him a "very solid above average TE." That's Drew Sample production.
Dawson Knox - 388 yards, 2 TDs in 2019. 288 yards, 3 TDs in 2020. Again, not very good either. He had some good catches, but he's not a featured member of that offense.
Cole Kmet - 243 yards, 2 TDs. That's worse than Sample.

On the flip side...
Hockenson - 367 yards, 2 TDs as a rookie, 723 yards, 6 TDs in 2020. Hockenson had more production in his 2020 season alone than Smith and Knox have had in two years.
Fant - 562, 3 as a rookie. 673, 3 in 2020. Yet again, way more productive than Smith, Knox, or Kmet.

OJ Howard has been plagued with the injury bug like Eifert, but he's been productive when healthy.
1602 yards and 14 TDs in 42 games is solid. But Howard was more raw coming out of college compared to a guy like Pitts, but he went in the 1st round because of his elite profile. 

Hurst should not have gone in 1st round. My favorite TE in that draft class was Mark Andrews. I really wanted him in Rd 2 or 3. 

Day 2 has been the gem of TEs in recent years, but they all had their flaws coming into the draft, which is why they didn't go in the 1st. Whether it be lack of production, non-elite speed, lack of height, played at a small school/conference, whatever. Pitts is considered so high because he checks off all the boxes for what you would want in a TE in the 1st round. Size, speed, athleticism, high profile school and conference, proven dominant production.

If I was to put money on any TE in this upcoming draft class to become good aside from Pitts, I'd only consider Freiermuth or Brevin Jordan. I think both go in Rd 2. Tre McKitty might become something, but I can easily see him not. He's a perfect early Rd 4 pick.

I want to clarify this... much like last year when I was not in the crowd ready to go all in on Burrow because I knew the line was going to suck and didn't think the team would help him. I am not against Pitts as a player. He has a great skillset and he can certainly be a weapon and a match-up nightmare. But Pitts is a weapon and if you don't have the ability to keep your QB upright long enough to use him, it is useless to have weapons. 

If they go out there and get 2 upgrades in FA, then they can do whatever with that pick and it would be an upgrade, but if they still have Bobby Hart and Michael Jordan as starters... that has to be fixed with the top pick, even if you move back a few to take another guy like Slater or Darrisaw and get the additional pick.