Should the Miami Dolphins draft Kyle Pitts in the 2021 NFL Draft?

Former Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts has been the talk of the 2021 NFL Draft. People will always talk about the quarterbacks, but it is unheard of for a tight end to get this much hype entering the draft.

The 2020 John Mackey award winner broke the internet by running a 4.44 40-yard dash at 6-6, 245 pounds at Florida’s Pro Day. He is a certified freak of nature, and he cemented why he is the No. 1 player in the 2021 NFL Draft.

There has been a lot of talk about how high Pitts will go, but after the San Francisco 49ers traded up to the No. 3 overall pick, it is a lock that the top three picks will be quarterbacks. That means the highest Pitts can go is No. 4 overall to the Atlanta Falcons. However, there were reports today that the Falcons may be looking to trade back with a team that is looking for a quarterback (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). We could see all quarterbacks for the first four picks of the draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals have the No. 5 overall pick, which feels like the first real spot Pitts can go. It would make sense for the Bengals to add Pitts, as they do not have an elite tight end, but they also need help to protect Joe Burrow. My guess would be that Cincinnati plays it safe and drafts an offensive lineman with the fifth overall pick.

That leaves Pitts dropping to the No. 6 overall pick, which is held by the Miami Dolphins after they traded back up from pick 12 with the Philadelphia Eagles for the sixth pick. If Pitts does make it to pick 6, I think the Dolphins will run to the podium to select the potential future Hall of Fame player.

Pitts would be the perfect fit in Miami, giving them an elite 12 personnel (1 running back, 2 tight ends). Pairing Pitts with Miami’s current No. 1 tight end Mike Gesicki may not make sense to some casual fans, but it is becoming evident that it would be an excellent move for the Dolphins.

Miami ran the fifth most 12 personnel in the NFL last season, according to Sharp Football Stats. A big reason they ran a lot of 12 personnel was that their starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was at his best in that formation. Tagovailoa had a 102.5 passer rating when in 12 personnel, which was better than his 79.8% passer rating when in 11 personnel (1 running back, 1 tight end), according to Pro Football Focus.

Having an elite 12 personnel opens up your offense a ton. Also, Pitts will make everyone else on your offense better. He will create mismatches for your other pass-catching targets. I went in depth about this on The Average Joe Football Show.

However, former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky broke it down on ESPN as well:

Orlovsky did a great job describing what Pitts could bring to an NFL team, and we had the same mentality on what it means to add a player like Pitts to an offense.

Miami would be foolish to pass on Pitts if he is there at No. 6 because he is the perfect fit in Miami. The Dolphins should 100% draft Pitts if he is on the board at pick 6 in the 2021 NFL Draft.