It would be truthful to say the Atlanta Falcons haven't exactly got what they bargained for when they drafted Kyle Pitts with the fourth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. But that's what happens when you label him a generational prospect and saddle him with Arthur Smith for the first three years of his career.
The Falcons made Pitts the highest-drafted tight end in NFL history. They were expecting the modern reincarnation of Mike Ditka in him, and while he hasn't set the league on fire relative to those lofty expectations, it would be a bold-faced lie to imply that he has been a draft bust because of them.
The 25-year-old is one of just three tight ends to surpass 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie, and while he's never been elite, he's been good across his five NFL seasons. He has both a Pro Bowl and an All-Pro nomination to his name, and I don't know many disappointing draft picks that have any of those.
Kyle Pitts is not one of the worst first-round picks in recent memory
CBS Sports' Mike Renner recently ranked all 191 first-round picks since 2020, and he placed Pitts in the bottom tier of most disappointing first-round picks. He ultimately came in at 159th on the list, one spot behind Xavier Legette, who has never surpassed even 500 receiving yards in a single season.
“Kyle Pitts is a good player,” Renner wrote. “But the decision to draft him No. 4 overall in 2021 was objectively not a good one considering the next six players off the board were Ja'Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, Penei Sewell, Jaycee Horn, Patrick Surtain II and DeVonta Smith.”
So we are criticizing a franchise for drafting a good player because they missed out on great ones? Because the logic in that sentiment isn't very sound. The Falcons have one of the best tight ends on the NFL on their roster, and for as inconsistent as he's been, this assessment is just flat-out wrong.
Let's name some of the players Pitts was listed behind:., Kenny Pickett, Henry Ruggs, Justin Fields, Kadarius Toney, and Terrion Arnold. Are we serious here? Because there's no way this list is real--and this is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the questionable rankings choices Renner made.
Ruggs hasn't played in the NFL since 2021 and has been in prison since 2023 for causing a fatal car crash, and Arnold was just released for his reported involvement in an armed robbery plot. And Toney is out of the NFL. Fields, and Pickett are two of the most disappointing first-round QBs in recent memory too. In what world does Pitts even hold a candle to any of these guys on the bust scale?
If the Dirty Birds didn't believe in him, they wouldn't have signed him to a three-year, $54 million extension before they ever re-signed Bijan Robinson. They made him the third-highest paid tight end in the NFL after a breakout season last year. Personally, draft bust is just the wrong label here.
While there have been some bumps in the road with Kyle Pitts, he's still the second option in the Falcons' passing game, and many of his issues weren't his fault. First it was bad play-calling and now bad QB play, but once he takes another step up in Kevin Stefanski's offense, Renner will eat his words.
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