There's a strong possibility that the top-four selections in this year's NFL Draft will all be quarterbacks. But if this scenario doesn't happen, Florida tight end Kyle Pitts could be the reason why.
According to FanSided NFL insider Matt Lombardo, the Atlanta Falcons -- drafting No. 4 overall -- are enamored with Pitts, who has the pass-catching skills and potential to receive All-Pro honors in his rookie season.
"I'm told, talking to people around the league, that [Falcons owner] Arthur Blank is head over heels in love with Kyle Pitts, and that he has a very clear memory of what the Falcons were able to do with [Hall of Fame tight end] Tony Gonzalez," Lombardo told The Zach Gelb Show on Friday. "If you can drop a Kyle Pitts into an offense with a Calvin Ridley and a Julio Jones, with one or two more years of Matt Ryan playing at the level that he's been playing at and being under contract for at least the next two years, I firmly believe that if Kyle Pitts is on the board at No. 4, he'll be wearing an Atlanta Falcons jersey come Week One."
Pitts, who stands 6-foot-6 with a longer wingspan (83 3/8") than any NFL receiver or tight end in the last 20 years, is currently ranked the fifth-overall prospect on Pro Football Focus' NFL Draft Big Board.
Although he missed a pair of games in November due to complications from an illegal hit, Pitts finished the 2020 season (eight games) with 43 receptions for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns, and recorded the second-highest touchdown total by a tight end in SEC history. He also became the first tight end to finish in the top-10 in Heisman Trophy voting in 43 years.
Pitts is planning to attend the first round of the NFL Draft in Cleveland on Thursday, April 29, and if the Falcons do select him, he'd become just the second tight end to go in the top-five in the common draft era, and the first since 1972.
According to Spotrac.com, the estimated total value of the fourth overall pick's contract is $31.1 million, and the estimated signing bonus is $19.9 million.
The entire NFL Draft conversation between Lombardo and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.