ESPN’s Todd McShay says Falcons are locked in on Kyle Pitts with fourth overall pick

Days away from the 2021 NFL draft, rumors have been swirling around the Falcons regarding the fourth overall pick. As I’ve said before, the 49ers’ third overall pick is where the draft begins. Depending on what John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan choose to do, Terry Fontenot will respond accordingly. Based on Todd McShay of ESPN, San Francisco seems to be choosing between Trey Lance and Mac Jones, “I’m told that many in the 49ers’ personnel department have pushed for North Dakota State QB Trey Lance but that coach Kyle Shanahan wants to draft Alabama’s Mac Jones.”

If that is the case, the Falcons will be choosing between Kyle Pitts, Justin Fields, and Trey Lance, but McShay believes the pick will be Pitts. In his draft buzz piece, he wrote, “I’m getting a strong reading that the Falcons like Florida tight end Kyle Pitts as the fourth selection. He’d of course be a game-changer in that offense, and the organization believes he has a great chance to be a Hall of Fame type of player.” On Pardon My Take this morning, he sounded very confident that the Gainesville product would be the fourth overall pick:

“Everyone thinks that Atlanta is taking a quarterback, and who knows, maybe they’ll surprise me, I’ve talked to another really reliable source that says they’re gonna take Kyle Pitts from Florida”

 

My take is the amount of draft capital the 49ers gave up to move from the 12th pick points toward the notion of John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan knowing who they’d draft before the trade. My gut still tells me Justin Fields, but the amount of “feelings” and “rumors” around the third and fourth picks makes it obvious nobody outside of the two organizations knows what will ensue.

If Fontenot wants to trade out of the fourth spot, which McShay notes he has fielded offers, Lance and Fields falling will give him the best opportunity to get the amount of capital the Dolphins received trading back nine spots. “I also heard the Falcons are fielding calls regarding trading out and would consider moving down the board.”

Expect more of the same this week as experts make assumptions based on rumors with no corroboration. I still believe the Falcons pick should be between Pitts and Penei Sewell, but there’s no telling what Thursday’s draft will bring.