The San Francisco 49ers trading up in the draft from the No. 12 spot to No. 3 took the entire NFL by surprise. Shortly after the trade, University of Florida's tight ends coach, Tim Brewster, looked at his phone and saw a text from one of his former players, tight end Kyle Pitts.
The message read, "Is it [for] a QB or is it [for] me?"
No one assumed the move was for Pitts, who was eventually selected No. 4 overall by the Atlanta Falcons. After all, you don't make that kind of blockbuster move, surrendering multiple first-round picks and a third-rounder, for a tight end—even one as talented as Pitts. It was clear the trade was for a quarterback, with San Francisco eventually drafting Trey Lance.
The idea that the 49ers might be coveting Pitts isn't absurd, though. Given his playmaking ability, most viewed the tight end as one of the most risk-free first-round prospects. Before the trade up to No. 3, some mock drafts even had San Francisco making moves to go after Pitts.
"I can understand why people said that because he is that type of player," head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Wednesday. "But no, we moved up knowing we were doing it for a quarterback, and that's what we focused on. But we definitely studied him too, and I can see why people said that."
Even sitting at No. 12, the 49ers focused on quarterbacks. The team already had one of the best tight ends in the game, George Kittle. Many would argue him to be the best. Pairing another tight end with their All-Pro player remained a possibility. Remember, the 49ers reportedly made a run at tight end Austin Hooper last year, before he signed with Cleveland.
Still, San Francisco didn't envision Pitts falling to them at No. 12. Shanahan added that the tight end only would have been an option had all the quarterbacks they coveted been off the board at that initial slot and Pitts was somehow still available.
Kittle had a chance to work with Pitts in the offseason at Tight End University in Tennessee, so he got a close-up look at the NFL rookie before Pitts even took an NFL snap.
"Yeah, it was really fun to work with Kyle Pitts, just to meet him," Kittle said on Friday. "You could tell he's a guy that's confident. I like that about him. He knows he's a very good football player, but he's very humble and I really appreciate that.
"And just watching his tape, I don't watch every single game, but just seeing it, one of the things I do like about him—he might not be the greatest in the run game, but he gives effort. He gives himself a chance with his first two steps off the ball. I've seen that a couple of times. Whether it's outside zone or something, he's not afraid to put his face in there, which I really appreciate, and I like watching that on film."
Pitts is proving to be a good receiving threat for Atlanta too. He has 770 receiving yards and a touchdown on 54 catches. Pitts' receiving yards total ranks No. 3 among all NFL rookies, including the wide receivers. His 77.8 overall Pro Football Focus grade is the best among rookie tight ends and the eighth-best among all tight ends. His receiving grade of 78.9 ranks sixth among all NFL tight ends and fourth among all rookies—again, including receivers.
"He's really good at route running," Kittle continued. "He's got a great feel for space. And then when you're that tall and you've got those arms like that, you can catch about anything that they throw to you. He makes a lot of spectacular plays."
Kittle, who most view as the best run-blocking tight end in the league, was disappointed that Pitts had to leave Tight End University early, missing the run-blocking seminar. Maybe that will benefit the 49ers on Sunday when they host the Falcons at Levi's Stadium in a crucial playoff-seed-impacting matchup.
