The first 2021 prospect I want to discuss is Florida tight end Kyle Pitts. Although I say tight end — he’s very much a receiving threat in the Gators offense.
Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth looks like a more orthodox TE. Everything about his playing style to demeanour says classic ‘Y’ tight end with the ability to be a plus pass catcher. He’s a sub-7.10 three cone away from being a very high pick.
Teams who want that more conventional looking TE will possibly favour Freiermuth. However — we’re seeing a real craving for mismatch weapons in the league and Pitts is highly dynamic.
The big question is going to be testing. When you’re essentially a glorified receiver — you need to have a certain level of athleticism. Watching his 2019 games, that shouldn’t be an issue. He looks like a fantastic athlete with rare mobility for his size.
The first thing that stands out is his fluidity as a runner at 6-6 240lbs. He ran a 4.70 at SPARQ at the same height/weight and watching him on tape, it’s likely he can get into the 4.6’s.
Just look at this release…
He’s practically unstoppable on in-cutting routes and slants. Florida has the option to line him up initially in a favourable coverage match-up, then motion him to the outside. From there he can win time and time again. His quickness and suddenness at his size creates easy victories against a safety or linebacker and he has plenty of success against cornerbacks too when he simply starts as an outside target. He’s also a genuine mismatch target working the seam or on wheel routes.
Against LSU he matched up against Grant Delpit and beat him fairly easily on an elongated wheel route. It took an age for him to get forward motion into the route but that was OK — he can create separation and accelerate quickly. Delpit — who was one of the better coverage safeties in college football — just couldn’t react.
He had a lot of success working the middle of the field against LSU too. He should’ve had a touchdown on a seam route but this time Delpit jarred the ball out with a big hit. Pitts should’ve held on and completed the catch for a score but it was a nice recovery by the LSU safety. The route itself though was a good example of his ability to get downfield quickly and when you need to cover him in a wide open area — it’s very difficult for any non-cornerback to stick. He has subtle movement at the stem to create separation and he can just run faster than most players in coverage. He had a lot of wins against a good LSU defense over the middle and he’ll be a major threat attacking the seam. He’s really difficult to cover in zone.
It’s a sign of his athleticism that they tried him as a ball carrier on some WR screens. He’s too quick and dynamic for safeties and linebackers but he’s also stronger and bigger to win any contested situations against cornerbacks.
His mobility as a runner has to be seen to be believed. His sudden, choppy movement at 240lbs is rare. There’s no stiffness at all. He can make defenders miss, he can create late separation on routes and he has some YAC value.
His hands are generally good and strong. There were plenty of examples of throws that were slightly off or into a tight window but he clung on…
I saw one really bad concentration drop yet in the same game Van Jefferson also had an ugly whiff. I didn’t see any evidence to think this was anything more than a one-off.
Despite being very much a glorified receiver, he does have some in-line experience. Usually these types of tight end are just constantly in the slot or outside. He was asked to do a bit of blocking either next to the tackle or as a H-back. When blocking on screens he generally does a good job latching on to targets in space. You wouldn’t call blocking a strength for him but he’s willing. He’s more Noah Fant than T.J. Hockenson in that regard — but he’s such a terrific receiving threat and athlete, the team who drafts him likely won’t be worrying too much about that aspect of his game unless, like the Seahawks, it’s a major part of what you do on offense.
He ran a 4.45 short shuttle at SPARQ which would put him about on par with most of the better TE testers in the league. Clearly the three cone will have a big say on his stock. Yet as noted — he’s such a free mover that it’d almost be surprising if he didn’t get into the 6.9’s to really propel his stock into the top-20.
One issue he might have at Florida is the performance of quarterback Kyle Trask. I thought his accuracy in 2019 was patchy at best. Floated and high passes, throws behind targets. Trask came in at a difficult time and won games for Florida, so he deserves credit. But he’s not the kind of accomplished passer to enable Pitts to gain 800 yards and increase his touchdown total next year to really elevate his stock.
It might not matter. Noah Fant had 519 yards in his final year at Iowa and still landed in the top-20. Pitts looks like a similar level of athlete. Teams love these big-time mismatch weapons at the second level. Very few of these players are going to be able to block as well as George Kittle, Travis Kelce or Rob Gronkowski — but it’s easy to talk yourself into believing in them as a receiving threat.
Alongside Pitts will be Penn State’s Freiermuth, Miami’s Brevin Jordan and Wisconsin’s Jake Ferguson — with 2021 looking like a much improved class at the tight end position. When you combine it with another loaded looking receiver class — this is going to be another draft where we’re talking about the great pass-catching options.
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Next Years TE class looks like the best in a while and was a big reason I thought the Hawks were focusing on veteran options at the position this off season. If the additions of Parkinson and Sullivan work out then TE will not be as big a need clearly but I still think Russ could use an ultra athletic TE to combine with Dissly that would take this offense to another level. So Pitts is a guy I will definitely be keeping an eye on. Thanks for the early heads up on him.
Nice catch radius. If he can learn a stiff arm, watch out…
Loved the article rob, I’m glad you are still posting articles as they are always a highlight of the day! Thanks for all that you do for us!
Rondale Moore tomorrow.
Ohh I’m excited for him after you posted his testing numbers in your watch list! Curious how he ended up at Perdue too
But they took a tight end this year. They will NEVER take one next year! Please look up this post in one year š
Can’t wait for Rondale Moore post. Do you have a set list of 2021 players (more or less the guys from your 2021 watch list i’m guessing) or will you be taking some suggestions from us in the peanut gallery?
I’m happy to take some requests. But it depends how much people want this 2021 stuff and whether it’s still an active blog in a week or two when the draft stuff has died down.
Rob – thanks for all you do! Iāve been quietly in the background coming multiple times a day since you started this back in the day. Itās really cool that youāre keeping things going – a great distraction!
Iām trying to recall: is he a little like Sterling Sharpe? Heās way more mobile than I remember Anquan (sic) Bolden being.
I’m not sure to be honest — Sharpe a bit before my time. I’m struggling for a comp to be honest. Not sure I’ve seen a 240lber move this well before.
I for one will be looking at this site religiously as usual for the forseeable future, so realy hope it stays busy as I love and appreciate your insight and the blog community as a whole. My favorite part of the day is reading this blog.
I would love to hear your thoughts on Olave and Wilson form OSU. Olave had a breakout year and I think could be destined for a 1st round grade. Would love to hear your analysis.
I think Olave is a player with a low ceiling personally. He was obviously extremely productive and did a lot of things well last season. But he also ran a 4.73 at SPARQ and while he’s no doubt faster than that now, it’s indicative that he’s not going to run a blazing time. We’ve seen non-elite OSU testers become really good pro’s (Michael Thomas) so it doesn’t mean he can’t succeed. But I’m not convinced he’s an early rounder.
No, he’s not Sterling Sharpe. There’s differences in their game, but he’s not too dissimilar to Jimmy Graham at Miami.
Are you guys’ thinking Shannon Sharpe?
No. Shannon was 6’2, 235 or so and changed a lot about the position. Pitts is 6’6, 240.
He kind of reminds me of Keenan Allen to be honest.
My god.
I’ve just watched an interview with Patrick Mahomes, recorded this week.
He has absolutely zero ego. It’s as if he’s just some random dude, not a Super Bowl winning QB on the cusp of being the highest paid player in history with the potential to be the best that ever played the game.
The Chiefs are going to win, and win, and win, and win with this guy.
Seems like a very humble dude. They should have a very legit shot at going back to back. You could see the actual Super bowl this year be the Chiefs against the Ravens.
I’m a big fan. I find his personality funny. He seems to act his age. I don’t mind if he wins the ones that we aren’t in. Could you imagine a series on Superbowls between him and Russ? It would be great
Scrambled eggs a** soundin’ voice.
Yeah he really seems so “Aw shucks” doesn’t he and it comes across as utterly legit. Think you’re spot on with your assessment of his personality Rob. I also don’t think it’s hyperbole at all to say he could be the best ever. Wonder if it’s because his dad was a major leaguer so he already has seen to all the “trappings” of fame and maybe dad has already taught him how to avoid those trappings.
Jedi.
If anyone can 3-peat, it’s Mahomes. Predicting 5 rings, total.
I’ll take the over on that one. Love this kid!
Can’t wait to see CEH teamed up with Andy Reid and Mahomes. That team will be interesting to watch over the coming years.
Exciting times for KC
Taco just cleared waivers, will be interesting to see the interest in him.
This will be an interesting year to see if Dissly and Parkinson could be our future at TE.
How is the LEO class in 2021?
Joe Tryon out of Washington was mocked as the first edge rusher off the board to replace none other than Everson Griffen for the Vikings.. I’m a Coug so naturally I’ve never heard of em, is he really that good??
Also its Walter Football making these projections so take it with a grain of salt but they have us slated to pick 24th overall, behind the Eagles, Niners, Saints and Buccs in the NFC. I actually like their choice going for a DT, Marvin Wilson out of Florida State.
I think you agree with me Rob that hopefully the hawks add to that position group (DT) THIS off-season and don’t wait until the next draft.
Re-watching the 2012 season (Russels rookie year) on NFL Gamepass. Hawks defense ended up ranked #1 in the league that year..but guess what they didn’t have much of…pass rush. Clemons had a 4 sack game early in the year..but then was pretty quiet. Rest of the line was Mebane, Red Bryant and some guy named Jones..whom I can’t seem to track down.
What they did do great was have an outstanding run defense, rarely gave up anything long in the passing game and when teams would throw short the LB’s would punish them..
food for thought…
It’s not food for thought.
They had Earl, Kam, Sherm, Browner, Bobby and KJ at the absolute freshest, most violent part of their early careers.
And the defense played off an offense dominated by Marshawn Lynch.
So unless the plan is to find a collection of individuals like that again, it’s not viable.
Plus, we spent the entire year talking about how isolated Clemons was and that they badly needed more pass rush.
Come on man. They had arguably the greatest secondary in the history of the game.
It’s like when people complain that PC’s defense isn’t as good as ’13 & ’14. Well no s**t. That was a top 5 defense of all time.
Jason Jones, Alan Branch and Clinton McDonald played DL with them that year,
So did Gregg Scruggs.
yeah..none of those guys were known for pass rush.
My point being…you can be a very good defense with a mediocre pass rush..so let’s stop obsessing about Clowney..
No, your point is you can be the #1 defense in the league if you have HOF and ROH players playing at their peak on cheap rookie contracts littered across your secondary and LB positions, working hand in hand with a Marshawn Lynch led offense.
Youāre going to have to take the L here unfortunately.
No need for all the drama. Nobodyās obsessing. Many people just want the best player available to make the biggest difference possible. Who doesnāt want that? Bad question?
Rob, are you going to be putting a pin in these guys early appraisals, then seeing who might have fallen out of favor during the 2021 draft process? Elevate these guys when it comes to possible PC/JS Seahawks picks?
Sure, I will return to these down the line.
Do you happen to have notes from the last few years and see any patterns emerge?
I guess we could call it the DK Medcalf draft prism.
I donāt usually write about future drafts at this time of year.
Hey Rob, great work this year. As to continuing with daily articles, I can tell you from my viewpoint, that I would love to read whatever you are inclined to write about football in general, the Seahawks in general, or the 2021 draft prospects. I’ve said before that you could expand the format to include all things Seahawks and even all things football. No need to limit yourself even though the draft will always be your core subject.
Thanks for all the content.
Kyle Pitts ought to insist on being called a WR as soon as possible to enhance his income potential. From the highlights, I only saw a WR who happens to be very very long and with an incredible catch radius.
šš»
Iāll keep writing if people keep reading and commenting.
Rob,
I see messages similar to this every day on this blog, but I’m going to add mine anyways. I’ve never posted on your blog before, but have been reading it daily for years. I’ve learned a tremendous amount about the ‘Hawks and about football. You and the deep community here have helped educate me on football and the draft, and helped me watch them both with a more intelligent lens. You were talking about establishing culture a few days ago, and as much as the posters contribute to this blog, you truly set the culture with your logical, educated and firm approach. You make this blog the amazing site that it is. You keep it evolving, growing and on a clear path, even when the occasional Sherman starts ranting.
So thank you for all the work you put in, and all the content you post. I checked every day last summer to see what you’d posted, and I’ll be checking every day this summer too.
Thank you! šš»
I think an overlooked aspect of following the draft on SDB is that you know so much more about all the players you’ve studied & when you watch ANY future games in the NFL, you can see how all of your favorites are doing & know what to look for performance wise. In future years, some may even be Seahawks via trade and we will usually have a little advanced knowledge about them, thanks to SDB. Also, just knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your individual opponents can be a big advantage on game days.
As a huge Husky homer, I would like to request one for Levi Onwuzurike.
PFF ranks him the best DL returning in the Pac 12, and one of the best DL period over the last two years.
No worries if he is not good enough to get a review, totally understand, there are so many good players to talk a about.
I have watched him. I thought he played bigger than he is. Good anchor for the size. Gets some push. Not sure he has a great deal of upside but certainly someone who could be a rotational guy at the next level.
On another TE, how about U Washington’s Cade Otten. Can he block like his former teammate Will Dissly?
Nobody blocks like Will, but Cade is a solid and willing blocker.
I can’t find the quote, but I remember Schneider saying that he drafts relative to his roster. Meaning that, he looks at the available talent on the roster and looks where a drafted player could fit into a competition.. whether its a starter, or a backup.
We also know that they obviously look at the cliffs of the draft and try to draft talent within those cliffs. I’m guilty of mocking mostly DTs and DEs in the first 3 picks, but with Rob constantly saying that this DL draft simply wasn’t as good as usual, it seemed likely that would never happen.
SLB was clearly a need, and there was a ton of talent at the end of the first to be available. Brooks, Queen, Murray, all guys that JS said he was interested in as instant talent and culture setters. They were all highly talented guys but a lot of people don’t see the value at LB. We didn’t really expect an early LB as they had Bobby, KJ and recently spent picks on BKK, Griffin and Barton. However, who here could really trust Barton or Griffin as a starting LB? They identified a hole on the roster, and located where the maximum talent to need was located, and made a move.
Next year, they could easily look to grab another TE for the same reason. Olsen is old, Dissly can’t stay healthy, Parkinson was a 3rd rounder (like Barton the year before). Don’t write off any position early except maybe QB.
Well Iād say two things to this…
1. SLB wasnāt a need at all really.
2. Murray/Brooks/Queen arenāt SLBās anyway.
It is truly interesting to see each teamās approach to the draft. Sometimes, like with SF (lately) and BAL, it seems like they are following the consensus draft boards down the line and Iām just so impressed with their drafts and underwhelmed by the āHawks.
2012 was a great example. I thought Courtney Upshaw was going to be an all-pro caliber player for years and he was mocked to go in the first round by most. I fell off my couch when the āHawks picked Bruce Irvin. BAL picked up Upshaw early in the second and I just remember thinking how smart BAL was. Same in round 2, I was hoping for Kendricks when they picked Bobby Wagner and assumed PHI stole Kendricks from us with the pick right before ours. OF COURSE, as it turned out 2012 was one of the best draft classes of all time for any team haha.. Bruce has had a very productive career, not exactly all-pro but certainly more than Upshaw. Bobby has been that all-pro and will be in the Hall of Fame.
I know Schneider has stated in the past that he has multiple roster āplansā in the works at any given point in time depending on how players develop or which players theyāre able to acquire, keep, etc. Itās fascinating to me that they had their sights set on those three LBs in this draft but it was clearly part of their āplanā for the long-term. Say one thing about the āHawks drafting.. they simply do not care about pundits, fans, or even consensus opinion. They pick the players according to fit, potential, and the plan… and itās going to frustrate the heck out of me every year.
Maybe they looked at the strength at WR in the draft and felt it had pushed down talent at a position that they see huge holes in two years down the line. They have not found a single quality LB in the draft since Irvin and have used several 3rd and later draft picks. I think with the way college football is played there seems to be quality WR depth most years. Physical LBs who have speed to play all three downs are harder to find.
That is a really interesting and great point. I always assumed they could find good talent at LB later on but you’re absolutely right they haven’t hit there in a while despite many attempts. Plus, I wonder if the “hand holding” comment applies to BBK or Barton? Seemed like they talked up their football IQ but Kendricks played until he got hurt.
I think holding hands meant…
Penny
Collier
Blair
Green
Somehow I feel like Ursua might be on that list as well. For a guy that led college in catches and the Hawks traded up for, 3 games and 1 target sure wasn’t much.
Agree with this! Obviously Gary Jennings too
Very interesting, Green came to mind for me too due to his age when he came out… but first thing I thought of was that great opportunity in the 2017 draft where we had 4 third round picks and a high fourth and drafted:
Shaquill Griffen
Delano Hil
Naz Jones
Amara Darboh
Tedric Thompson
Man, outside of Shaq, didn’t get much from that group and that is sad with all that draft capital.. seemed very odd for them to wiff on so many players in a row.
Taco signed one year deal with Chiefs.
Guess we will have to settle for enchiladas.
No taco flavored kisses?
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a3/ac/7d/a3ac7d910ec978a23e9bb9db524fd5ed.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGlmP4Os2rE
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The tight end class is really good in 2021 which made it surprising that we took 2 this year when it wasnāt an obvious need. We also took 3 WRās last year when it was obvious that 2020 was going to be an awesome receiver class. Itās weird that we do this and seem to always avoid the strength positions of the particular class
It is a weird pattern. Some call it being smart. Others being to cute. But we did take Paul Richardson in a strong receiver draft. Penny in a strong RB draft. And we tried to tap into a strong D line draft with Collier. If this is the case it will be a new trend from the past 2 drafts. If so i guess that does mean they may skip out on the TE group. Though reciever and D Line may be too good to pass up.
I donāt know if anyone would be interested as I am, but is it possible Rob for you to write a piece on Chris Olave? You may have heard of him from. Seems to me like the next coming of Terry McLaurin.
I was asked about him earlier in the comments section and put down some thoughts.
I think Olave is a player with a low ceiling personally. He was obviously extremely productive and did a lot of things well last season. But he also ran a 4.73 at SPARQ and while heās no doubt faster than that now, itās indicative that heās not going to run a blazing time. Weāve seen non-elite OSU testers become really good proās (Michael Thomas) so it doesnāt mean he canāt succeed. But Iām not convinced heās an early rounder.
I was the one that asked, so Iāll respond in here. Thank you for the response and insight! How do you generally find the 4times before college? Actually curious to see Gee Scottās time. If you donāt know him, he is a Ohio State recruit from the Seattle area. Watched him Put up 21 reps of 225 recently and is 6ā4ā 210 right now. The Buckeyes WR room is crazy talented right now, with this years recruiting class alone having 4 wr in the top 100 players.
You have really peaked my interest this year with all that you have done and provided. Iām starting to look at recruiting class players and wanting to follow them through college hahah
As far as I can tell, Gee Scott Jr didn’t attend SPARQ.
Is Solomon Thomas more 5T or 3T?
Probably 3, but he could play 5 on early downs.
5T who kicks inside.
But the Niners arenāt trading him to Seattle and weāre not trading for him at his salary thinking thatās the solution (because he isnāt).
I am not asking because of that. I was just interesting because just read his story. Its hard even reading, cant imagine how hard is to live through that.
Stephen Sullivan Gets the Call from John Schneider | 2020 NFL Draft
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL1yrE7BpDI
Gotta love the enthusiasm and joy from this guy. “Let’s get to work coach! Put my name up there!”
As expected, Jaguars decline 5th-year option on Fournette, making him much more tradeable.
1 year at around $4.2m?
Depends what they want for him.
I’d pass, but could see a team give up a 3rd or 4th.
Well… nothing’s going to happen it seems until the Clowney situation is resolved.
They then went out and signed Chris Thompson too. Maybe some smoke? Not necessarily to the Hawks, but looks like he could be moved.
As the biggest Ok State fan on the site, I would love to see an article on Tylan Wallace WR Ok State. And Chubba.
I have a feeling Hawks make a move for Fournette just before the start of the season.
I think one of the KC running backs becomes available before the start of the season.
Rob thank you very much for this incredible site. The seahawksdraft blog is something i look forward to reading every day.I think that the back up QB is something the still address my guess is probably Geno Smith or another veteran but what about Josh Rosen. He might be 3rd on the depth chart in Miami. I would be interested in your thoughts on Josh Rosen
If he was a free agent, I wouldn’t be opposed to it.
Rob, do you have any articles planned in addition to Seahawks news and the early prospect reports? Maybe a scout or Jim Nagy would do an interview about how they see this fall being different. I donāt know if you would be willing to do an enemy scouting report on our division rivals and top conference contenders. Would it be possible to get an interview with any NFL free agents? I know there would be a ton of interest across the country in a Josh Gordon piece. Or Everson Griffen. A Jadeveon Clowney interview would be legendary.
I’m certainly open to suggestions on interviews. Jim has done some of the Seattle radio stations recently so I don’t want to go over old ground. All of the drafted players are now under the media control of their teams so it’ll need to be people independent from that. I doubt Everson Griffen would talk to a Seahawks blog to be honest. Clowney… probably more chance of a chat with Lebron.
Ha! I should have put a š after the Clowney suggestion. I imagine that with the lack of NFL news, all the national talking heads are fighting for interviews or even quotes that they can leak. I was only going to suggest Gordon originally but got carried away…Still I imagine that some FAs might be available. Former Hawks are always loved. Guys like Keenan Reynolds who might still be fighting for another NFL chance. I donāt know about older vets like Britt but there would be a lot of people interested in how heās doing with rehab and what his plans are.
I could see PC or JS giving an interview. They always appear to want to share insights into their careers or turning points in personnel… they have always been good with the local Seattle media. I’m sure, if given the chance, would love to connect with more international outlets (UK).
Someone off the rails you could try to get an interview with could be Tom Cable….. he isn’t with the Seahawks, but it could be interesting to talk to him about the evolution of OL prospects from the 1990s forward. Then if you could ever get a Solari interview, ask some of the same questions and see how they have similar and differing ideas about OL prospects…
Back on point: So, if you want to interview a player/coach with the Seahawks, you put in a request with their media relations department? I guess the old saying “never know if you don’t try” might be accurate here š
Carroll and Schneider do less media than most coaches and GMās. Very rarely speak so itās doubtful.
With any employee you have to go to the teams. Such is the industry these days. When I started you used to just ring people up.
Chiefs signing Taco
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/chiefs-sign-former-cowboys-2017-firstround-pick-taco-charlton-154631254.html
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will not accept a salary during the pandemic.
The league raised more than $100 million for coronavirus relief during the NFL draft.
Everyone doing their part š
I live in a small province(same as a State in US) New Brunswick in Canada. We are officially Covid 19 free now. We had 118 people test positive but all have recovered and no new cases in the last 15 days. Fortunately we had zero deaths.
Still the entire province is basically on lock down and they are planning a gradual phased re-opening. There will be no school this year for the kids and all concerts, public events have already been canceled for the summer. Also no kids or team sports allowed.
All this is to say I think this is going to be one strange Football season come the Fall. The virus will still be with us and based on the reactions so far ( over reaction in alot of cases) I think there is almost zero chance they will open up football stadiums and have 100K people sitting side by side, eating, kicking, yelling and cheering.
So the likely scenario is they play the games in empty stadiums which I think could be an awful product and eliminate any home field advantage. I would think the elimination of crowd noise if they go that route will be a huge advantage to offensive teams.
If it ends up going this way hard not to think teams like KC and NO will not have a huge advantage this season.
Anyways I know this is off topic but these are weird times just needed to vent and ramble a little I guess.
Thatās awesome you guys got the all clear, and hopefully fairly normal day to day life!!
Nice writeup, Rob!
Didnt Jerry Rice and Anquan Boldin run 4.7 40’s coming out of college? Some guys have enogh quickness, and a knack for getting open, that a 4.5-4.7 40 isnt really accurate of their ability to get open. Just like some guys who run 4.4’s cant get open regularly…