Plenty has been made about the Falcons’ use or lack thereof their top 10 picks in Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts.
A lot of that has to do with Atlanta’s quarterback play. Whether it’s been Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder or Taylor Heinicke, London and Pitts haven’t been able to consistently showcase their elite skill sets.
For Robinson, a lot of fans’ complaints revolve around the lack of touches, but that’s not a valid thing to be upset about. The rookie running back has averaged nearly 18 touches per game and has never had less than 15 other than the Week 7 contest where Robinson only garnered one touch due to the migraine.
However, what is reasonable to be upset about is the usage of Robinson in critical situations — red zone, goal to go, third downs, and short yardage. That’s not the case for Drake London, though. He’s consistently targeted in those types of situations, whereas Kyle Pitts isn’t.
Remember when Kyle Pitts was all the rage as a top-five pick in the 2021 NFL draft? Remember when he followed that up with a 1,000-yard Pro Bowl rookie season?
Well, since that 2021 campaign, the Atlanta Falcons tight end has caught 60 passes for 745 yards and three touchdowns. Now, you have to wonder if his fifth-year option is even a consideration for a team that just hasn’t seen enough.
Keep in mind that even while the Florida product excelled in terms of catches and yards as a rookie, he caught just one touchdown pass. He has scored just four times in two-and-a-half years of professional football action.
An MCL injury was partly to blame for his brutal cumulative numbers in 2022, but he’s healthy now and remains an afterthought more often than not in Arthur Smith’s offense.
Pitts turned 23 last month so time is still on his side, but it doesn’t take long to fall into an abyss in this league. We’ll have to see if he can build off of a decent 56-yard showing against Minnesota in Week 9.
Kyle Pitts has looked much more like the 2021 version of himself as he continues to get healthier from his MCL injury, but a lack of consistent targets and play calls have hindered his production. I’m still not worried about him or his future with the Falcons as much as Bleacher Report is.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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