Depending on which mock draft you look at, there are a lot of potential landing spots for both tight end Kyle Pitts and receiver Kadarius Toney. Pitts has been mocked anywhere from No. 4 to No. 12, and Toney has seen top-20 projections while others have had him falling out of the first round entirely.
But in a perfect world, where would be the best landing spot for each? ESPN thinks it has an answer. It gave a rundown of the best fits for the top-15 receivers (including Pitts) based on scheme and need. For Pitts, that team is Cincinnati. He’d have the opportunity to play under a talented young quarterback in Joe Burrow and be a major target for the second-year passer.
Where the Bengals could get him: Round 1 (No. 5)
Why he fits: I’m cheating a little bit here because Pitts is not a traditional tight end. He is the best pass-catcher in this class, though, and if he is still available at No. 5 overall, I love his fit with quarterback Joe Burrow, who throws with stellar anticipation and location.
Pitts is a dynamic playmaker, an offensive weapon with the high-end physical tools to threaten defenses from multiple alignments. At Florida last season, Pitts lined up with his hand in the dirt next to a tackle on 48% of his routes, while 30% of his routes were out of the slot and 22% came when he lined up out wide. When he does flex outside of the formation — in the slot or as the backside X receiver in 3×1 sets (see video below) — he reminds me of Plaxico Burress. Pitts has matchup ability at all three levels of the field, as he can separate vertically or use his frame to outmuscle defensive backs at the catch point.
Yes, offensive tackle is a position of need in Cincinnati, but this team also needs playmakers. The Bengals can add a prospect who can be used as a versatile game-plan piece — to pair with the ascending talent of second-year wide receiver Tee Higgins — to give Burrow two volume targets.
With A.J. Green getting older, Pitts would give the Bengals offense an opportunity to reload a bit. But what about Toney? The ESPN article thinks his best fit is with a team that desperately needs a spark on offense.
NEXT: What about Kadarius Toney?