04-02-2021, 11:09 AM
(04-02-2021, 09:47 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: They love Pitts for one thing: size. If he wasn't so big (he's actually 6' 5 and 5/8", not a full 6'6") and still clocked the speed of 4.44, I don't think he would have near the buzz. His production wasn't crazy (had 100 total receptions in 3 years, although almost of all of it came the last two).
If people are so in love with his size, ask yourself why? Bigger catch radius? Ok, that makes sense, but with a 34" vertical, compared to Chase's 41", doesn't that balance out a bit? And ball tracking skills? It's Chase, not even close. Change of direction? I can name 10 WRs that will do that better. He isn't even that great a blocker, and I don't care if you think you will line him up outside all the time, it is still something that he will be required to do in the NFL.
I like the guy, but I just don't love him like so many that are on the "He's Calvin Johnson" hype train. Johnson had an incredible 42.5" vertical. A full 8" higher than Pitts. Please. His 4.44 at the "pro day" isn't like Johnson's 4.35 at the more reliable Indy Combine.
Pitts will be a solid pro. I would love to have him, but not at #5. Chase simply does what very few people can do: Test off the charts, produce in the toughest conference in the league, and has mitts that simply don't drop the ball.
His phyical attributes are insane. It's more than just size. It's size with those numbers (6'6, 246, 4.44, etc).
Calvin Johnson may very well be the biggest physical freak in the history of the game. And despite playing on some bad teams, and some injuries, he's one of biggest and best talents to ever play his position. The fact that Kyle Pitts is even in the same ballpark speaks to the type of athlete he is.
Fwiw, Pitts is an inch taller than Calvin Johnson, he's 10 pounds heavier, his wingspan is bigger, and his handsize is almost a full inch bigger. Now, I'm mainly writing this just to show that while he's a little slower and his vert isn't quite as high, he's also a slightly different type of player.
As far his production, I would argue it was pretty crazy. You say most of it came only in the last two years. Well, yeah. He's a junior. Few if any skill position players produce a ton as true Freshman in the SEC (look at Ja'marr Chase for an example). You also have to remember that this past year only featured 8 games for him.
Pitts, playing against nothing but SEC talent, caught 43 balls for 770 yards and 12 TD's in only 8 games. In a typical 13 game, non-Covid season, this projects to 1,251 yards and 20 TD's. And that's projected against all SEC teams. Throw in a couple of weaker non-conference games and those numbers probably go up either further.
Instead of just comparing him physically to someone like Calvin Johnson, let's compare him to someone like AJ Green. Just to put into persepctive some of these pro day numbers from a man this size:
Height
Green - 6' 3.5
Pitts - 6' 5.5
Weight
Green - 208
Pitts - 246
40
Green - 4.48
Pitts - 4.44
Vert
Green - 34.5
Pitts - 33.5
Broad Jump
Green - 126 inches
Pitts - 129 inches
Hand Size
Green - 9.25 in
Pitts - 10.575 in
So when you think of Kyle Pitts athleticism, basically just think of AJ Green, that's two inches taller, 40 pounds heavier, with bigger hands and a bigger wingspan. That's the type of number Kyle Pitts just put up.
To each their own, if you prefer Chase or Sewell then that's fine. But when you say Chase tests off the charts and produces in the tougher conference in football, the same can be said for this guy too.
