Having the skills to be labeled an athletic freak, that is loads of fun. Well, until reality doesn’t line up with expectations. This is where Kyle Pitts is currently living.
After an All-American 2020 season at Florida where he carved SEC defenses, Pitts earned praise like “matchup nightmare” and “elite and athletic ball-winner,” before being selected by the Falcons with the fourth-overall pick in the draft.
Pitts’ NFL experience hasn’t been as similarly dominant as his time with the Gators.
After a 1,026-yard rookie campaign, Pitts has only amassed 1,625 yards combined over the last three seasons, and never more than 667. What's the deal?
"This is one of the most disappointing players I've ever had to talk about as a Falcon,” Beau Morgan said on The Morning Shift on 92.9 the Game. “I watched this guy in college for three years and I loved the dude, absolutely a phenom. But he's disappointing, and when you hear Kirk Cousins say in training camp 'I've got to stay on top of him,' basically so he doesn't get lazy, that's brutally bad for me to hear. When I hear the OC asked openly in a press conference in the middle of the season 'How do you get Kyle Pitts more involved?' and he says 'Kyle's got to do a better job getting himself involved, too. He's got to make sure he's doing everything he can to get open.' That bothered me.
Pitts dominated most one-on-ones at Florida, an encounter for the ball typically resulted with the ball in Pitts’ hands. Something was different at times last season with the Falcons.
“When I see DBs my size run through him and break up balls, when he's not coming back and being physical at the point of attack on the football to hold onto the football,” Morgan started. “These are all bad signs.”
Atlanta quarterbacks don’t seem to be going Pitts’ way as much anymore. His targets per game have dropped from almost 6.5 his rookie season to just under 4.5 in 2024. Are defenses taking him out of play, or has the Falcons’ game plan changed?
"Quarterbacks, if you're getting open they're gonna know it, they're going to recognize it, they're gonna get you balls," Morgan said. "[If] they trust you, you're gonna get the ball. Drake London gets some of those contested targets because they know they can trust him. Same with Ray-Ray. They lost trust in Kyle, and Kyle's not earned it back.
"When your GM says that, he's not going to throw a player under the bus," Morgan said. "That's as honest as you can be between a GM to a player who still has time left on his contract."