Falcons Legend Has High Hopes for Kyle Pitts in 2025

Falcons Legend Has High Hopes for Kyle Pitts in 2025 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Kyle Pitts became a legend in Gainesville during his time with the Florida Gators. The 6-foot-6 tight end combined with former Florida quarterback Kyle Trask to form a deadly duo that went 29-9 from 2018-20 with a pair of New Year's Six bowl game victories.

The Atlanta Falcons selected Pitts with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, as he promised to be a big-time target for the Falcons for years to come. However, after a very successful rookie season, his numbers have fallen off over the past three seasons.

Legendary Falcons wide receiver Roddy White sat down with Vegas Insider for an interview about Atlanta's team and raved about Pitts' time with Florida and his future in the NFL.

White, who spent his entire 11-year NFL career with the Falcons, had over 10,000 receiving yards, 63 touchdown catches and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection in his tenure with Atlanta. He said he was enamored by Pitts' size and athletic ability when the Falcons drafted him.

"I love Kyle Pitts," White said. "One thing that's been hampering him throughout his career in Atlanta is not being able to have a really good offseason with things like surgeries or rehabbing injuries.”

The injury bug has been an issue for Pitts since entering the NFL. He missed seven games in the 2022 season, one because of a strained hamstring and six due to an MCL tear.

Pitts was a Pro Bowler in his rookie season, catching 68 passes for 1,026 yards and one touchdown. In the past three years, though, the tight end has not eclipsed the 700-yard mark as his targets have gone down.

"He's shown how good he can be though," White continued. "He had a really good rookie season with Matt Ryan throwing him the ball where he was used similar to how he was used at the University of Florida. To accelerate his progression, the Falcons need to find ways to let him do what he did in college."

What Pitts did in college was incredible. He had 100 receptions in his Florida career for 1,492 yards and 18 scores, 12 of which came during his junior year in 2020. In that season, Pitts won the John Mackey Award, given to the most outstanding tight end in college football, finished in the top-10 in Heisman Trophy voting and was a unanimous first-team All-American selection.

If the Falcons are able to get Pitts back to the level he played at with Florida and during his rookie season in Atlanta, like White hopes, the rest of the NFC South will need to be on the lookout.

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared.