Kyle Pitts

The term "generational prospect" is thrown around too often, but Pitts is the rare case where few argue with that assessment. His 43-770-12 receiving line in an eight-game junior season at Florida was as good as it gets in terms of per-game production from a tight end, a position where even the future NFL stars don't always put up big numbers in college. Pitts also had an impressive sophomore year that included a team-high 54 receptions, and his pro day workout surpassed even the lofty expectations. At 6-6, 245, Pitts put up the fastest 40 time (4.44 seconds) and broad jump (129 inches) among tight ends in this year's draft class. The Falcons saw enough to take him fourth overall, arguably passing up their best chance to find Matt Ryan's successor. Regardless of how that works out from a franchise standpoint, it means Pitts will start his career catching passes from a veteran QB who has a 10-year streak topping 4,000 passing yards, with an average of 4,571 in that stretch. Hayden Hurst still might be the nominal Week 1 starter, but his disappointing 2020 opens the door for Pitts to be Atlanta's top pass catcher at tight end, a role that should come with steady targets after the team traded Julio Jones to Tennessee. While avoiding rookie tight ends might be a good rule in general, a prospect like Pitts is the reason we leave room for exceptions.