You've probably seen and heard it 10,000 different times by now: the biggest storyline of the offseason for the Atlanta Falcons is about Kyle Pitts. The franchise tag window opens up next week, so we'll have more clarity then, but the Falcons still could lose their star tight end if he isn't tagged and extended.
Pitts is someone this offense cannot afford to lose, as the 25-year-old is fresh off of a major bounce-back season where he was finally utilized the way fans were expecting. And given how thin the Dirty Birds are at wide receiver, he's the de facto No. 2 option in the passing game behind Drake London.
The franchise tag seems to be the likely outcome, but you never know how things will shake out in the modern NFL. Even if Pitts is back, TE could be a position Ian Cunningham still tries to bolster because Kevin Stefanski prefers to run 12 personnel and utilize multiple tight ends in the offense.
The Falcons probably wouldn't spend heavily on a tight end, but drafting one is still on the table, and that's what FanSided's own Cody Williams thinks they will do. In his three-round post-Super Bowl mock draft, he had Atlanta selecting Ohio State tight end Max Klare with their third-round selection
Falcons come away with Max Klare to join forces with Kyle Pitts in new FanSided mock draft
Drafting Klare would be eerily similar to what Stefanski last draft, when the Browns drafted Harold Fannin Jr. in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft despite already having David Njoku on the roster. And that led to them both being productive, even though Fannin took over as TE1 down the stretch.
Klare wasn't as productive in college as Fannin was, but he's still one of the top TE prospects in this draft. The problem with Klare was that in Columbus, he didn't get to showcase his talent enough because two NFL-caliber receivers in Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith took all the spotlight.
Despite a minor statistical drop off from his final season at Purdue, had a productive season with the Buckeyes. He logged nearly 700 yards in his last season with the Boilermakers, and has proven time and again that's he's an explosive vertical threat who's worth a mid-round pick this coming April.
At 6-foot-5 and 243 pounds, Klare is a solid route runner and is decent after the catch, but where he really struggles is with physicality, especially as a blocker. He could turn out to be a solid complement for Pitts as another security blanket for Michael Penix Jr., but I doubt he's a long-term fix if he leaves.