The Falcons' have two young franchise players on their roster. Tight end Kyle Pitts on offense, and Cornerback AJ Terrell on defense. Going in to their second and third years respectively, both studs recently spoke on stepping up and being leaders for this new look Falcons' squad. Leadership will be needed in Atlanta with the trading of Matt Ryan. But should players this young be the ones to shoulder that burden?
When asked about being the face of the franchise AJ Terrell responded,"...Why not look at it that way? Holding myself accountable and keeping it that way is what I'm supposed to do. "
Kyle Pitts had a similar mindset when asked about the leadership on this team stating, "That's something I want to work towards, being one of the top leaders on the team."
While those are encouraging words to hear, is it ideal? Is it fair that some of the youngest players on the team are feeling pressure to be the leaders?
AJC Falcons' reporter, D. Orlando Ledbetter, recently joined the Chris Thomas Show and when asked about their comments Ledbetter said of Kyle Pitts, "I don't think he is ready. I'm indifferent about a second-year guy being a leader. I don't need you to be a leader right now, I need you to get in the endzone."
He voiced the same opinion when asked of Terrell saying, "The best players end up being the leader, but just keep playing good, and don't worry about all these additional titles."
Veterans like Grady Jarrett and Marcus Mariota would be the ideal leaders of this team, but do they have that mentality in them?
Pitts and Terrell have the talent and production to validate leadership roles, but it would be wise to not put too much on the plate of players who, in reality, are still figuring out how to play in the NFL.