Florida Football: Kyle Pitts has to be considered nation’s top tight end

Kyle Pitts is one of the best tight ends in the country according to just about everyone, but the Florida football star should be considered No. 1.

If you look at national publications and season previews and check out the preseason All-Americans, you’d have a tough time finding Kyle Pitts on first or second-teams.

And that’s not quite accurate.

The former four-star tight end from Pennsylvania had quite the sophomore season, catching a team-high 54 passes for 649 yards and five touchdowns. He had some elite numbers and while he may not quite be considered the No. 1 tight end by many publications, he most certainly needs to be treated as such.

Sure, you have guys like Iowa State’s Charlie Kolar, Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth, Miami’s Brevin Jordan and Utah’s Brant Kuithe but Pitts is a complete package.

Pitts might be on the slimmer side for a tight end as he almost resembles a bigger receiver at 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, but that doesn’t stop him from excelling at the position. He does split out wide in many offensive sets so he has receiver skills, but he has enough strength to pick up a crucial block. He could use some work in the run-blocking area (with some added muscle) but he’s no slouch there either.

Kolar and Freiermuth are much thicker bodies and aren’t quite as athletic as Pitts so that’s where the Florida star stands out in the passing game and his hands are like glue.

The Gators barely utilized Pitts in 2018 but once they gave him a real shot as a sophomore, he exploded onto the scene and he was a major mismatch for linebackers who tried to cover him over the middle.

If there’s one tight end heading into the 2020 season who should be considered TE1, going with anyone other than Pitts would be a mistake. This kid is going to be a nightmare for defenses yet again and he may even be a top-10 NFL draft pick next spring.