Blinksportsnews247It’s unclear which route the Kansas City Chiefs will go because they have many slots to fill and the 32nd overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.
If the Chiefs want to win the Super Bowl three times in a row, finding quarterback Patrick Mahomes a reliable receiving weapon should be their top priority. However, as Charles Goldman of AtoZ Sports pointed out, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has a track record of trading away first-round picks to acquire trustworthy veterans.
It’s unclear which route the Kansas City Chiefs will go because they have many slots to fill and the 32nd overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.
If the Chiefs want to win the Super Bowl three times in a row, finding quarterback Patrick Mahomes a reliable receiving weapon should be their top priority. However, as Charles Goldman of AtoZ Sports pointed out, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has a track record of trading away first-round picks to acquire trustworthy veterans.
“He’s a freak to some, and an out-of-position receiver to others,” SI’s Anthony Licciardi wrote. Following Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan’s exit, however, Pitts has floundered. If Pitts was catching passes from Mahomes, the highest-drafted tight end in NFL history could flourish once more.
It’s unclear right now whether Atlanta would be open to trading Pitts. The Falcons, though, are in the middle of a significant reconstruction. In the 2024 NFL Draft, the Falcons are predicted to select a quarterback with their eighth overall pick.
“It’s hard to imagine that Atlanta wouldn’t at least listen to offers if Pick No. 32 in the first round or any other pick can help them achieve the goal of finding their quarterback of the future,” Goldman wrote. Atlanta has until May 2 to exercise Pitts’ rookie contract’s $10.87 million fifth-year option.
Licciardi wonders where Pitts’ special skill set fits in now that Atlanta has acquired offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and new head coach Raheem Morris.
“Most teams don’t have a player with Pitts’ combination of height and speed (6-5, 245 with a 4.44 40-yard dash), thus the Rams (Robinson’s last team) didn’t have one. He was the target of 86 targets in 2023, with an average target depth of 12 yards. With over 25 targets, no other tight end was able to surpass 10 yards.
Although Travis Kelce of the Chiefs is still Mahomes’ most dependable target, he will turn 35 the following season. Kansas City must begin making plans for life after the eventual Hall of Famer. It is in Pitts’ and the Chiefs’ best interests to join the team while Kelce can mentor him.
“Pitts could be the ideal complement and a true successor, even with a player like Travis Kelce still playing at a high level,” Goldman wrote. The only tight end signed by the Chiefs for the next campaign is Noah Gray, aside from Kelce.
Pitts’ usage “resembles a receiver more than a typical in-line tight end,” as Licciardi noted, and Kansas City needs that as well.
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