Looking at some of his highlights, he can play inside and outside. I wouldn't be too mad having him with Dhop
This. Protecting Kyler is priority 1. Finding capable receivers is Priority 2. Everything on defense is Priority 3.
I don't disagree with this, but you don't spend the 16 pick on a guy who isn't special. Only one special interior OL in this draft at 16, Rashawn Slater. Problem being that some people have him top 5 or top 10 on their boards. If we want IOL, we are staring a Keim trade-back right in the face.
so true -- although Slater is only top 15 if the drafting team truly believes he excels at OT. If they are ? on his OT prospects, i think they pass this works to the Cards benefit. As much as they like Josh Jones, he is still an unknown for next year. If they take Slater, its both insurance at RT, but also a starter at G if Josh works out. finally even if no OL in round 1, the Cards likely have their choice of 3 or 4 excellent guard prospects at #48.
I'm in favor of taking with our R1 pick any player that is truly dominant and who can make plays that will win us games or turn a game around on a dime. A super TE is certainly one to consider. All one has to think of is K boys: Kelce and Kittle. How could we pass on someone like that in our offense. Would make a world of difference and win more games for us. Just think how many 1st downs they get their teams. On offense besides Pitts, that would be a WR like D. Smith, and a RB like Ettiene or Harris. Anyone one of which can bust a game open and break away for a TD on any given play, or get you a first down when you need it most. On defense that would be one of the very top 2 or 3 CBs, a true stud DT, a very productive DE/LB/Edge rusher. A stud at DT can save a game via a goal line stand, or change a game by forcing a team to have to rely solely on passing. Any edge rusher can stop a drive with a sack or cause a QB fumble at any time. And of course an all pro CB can always shut down the top WR on the other team, saving a game with an interception or simply keeping the score within reach.. I would always take a game changer first over a position of lesser immediate importance like a OLman, S, or most LBs. These positions are important for consistency throughout the game, but normally won't change the game on a dime. But like I always say, "What do I know?"
This goes precisely to my point about the inability to rank TEs. Kittle was a 5th round pick; Kelce was taken in the 6th. There is just no way to know Piits will be a great TE, though he has decent receiving skills.
Rd 1 TEs have been notoriously over ranked. From Vernon Davis to Eric Ebron to OJ Howard to Engram, to Njoku. The list of freaks is long. Even Hock & Fant probably go later if the draft is done over. Not saying that I don't like Pitts. But you can't just target him unless you are convinced that he is a great in line blocker as well. And I don't think that's his game. Sent from my mobile device using Tapatalk Pro
If we felt so strongly that we needed to use our only R1 pick to improve out passing game, it seems we would choose one of those top 3 or 4 WRs who are considered so good. One problem I see is that every board I come across has the top 4 or so ranked in such different order. And knowing Keim's past, I don't have faith that he would choose the correct one, if we in fact even had a choice. I said I would love to draft Pitts, but only if we were going to incorporate the TE into our passing schemes, which I don't remember us ever doing. In contrast to the WRs, Keim wouldn't really have to choose which TE to pick. It would be Pitts or no TE in R1.
We were throwing to Dan Arnold a lot this year. We usually have at least one TE on the field and in the games where both Max and Dan were healthy we went into 2 TE sets quite often. I see Pitts as a tall fast WR that can also help us in the run game with blocking.
Were we? I thought we under used him. He averaged 3 targets a game and only played 40% of snaps. I feel like he could easily have lined up in the slot more, especially over Isabella, and had at least 60% of snaps and 5-6 targets a game. I'd have liked to see him take some of the checkdown targets away from Edmonds.
Typically this causes us to expose the play (run vs. pass) pre-snap. We need a TE that is a danger in both blocking and pass catching if we want the position to become something more than just a gadget level 3 or 4 play per game problem for a defense.
I disagree. Vernon Davis had a long career. So has Ebron. Harry's point that not a ton of teams use TEs is more of the issue than anything. Similar to FBs in that regard. If you are the Cardinals and you are drafting Kyle Pitts, you are drafting him to essentially be your WR2. He is essentially getting Arnold and Fitzgerald's snaps.
Kelce is not a great blocker but he is an effort blocker. That is all we would need Pitts to be in terms of blocking. Also, there is nothing gadget about 6'5 245 fast enough to get behind LBs and being able to run over and around 215 lb Ss.
