SF 49ers: TE Kyle Pitts a dark-horse target in 2021 NFL Draft

Would the SF 49ers actually consider using their first pick, No. 12 overall, in the 2021 NFL Draft on Florida tight end Kyle Pitts?

Sure, why not?

It doesn’t seem like a great idea on the surface. After all, the Niners already boast one of, if not the most prolific tight end in the NFL today in George Kittle. And with Kittle’s lucrative contract extension signed last offseason, he’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

So, on the surface, Pitts would seem to be a sheer luxury item San Francisco doesn’t particularly need. At least not with other notable roster question marks elsewhere (see: offensive line, cornerback, quarterback, etc.).

But when one thinks about the possibilities of pairing the dynamic Kittle and the 6-foot-6, 246-pound Pitts together on the field at the same time, it’s not hard to get a bit intrigued. Potentially excited.

This isn’t an out-of-left-field argument either. In his latest mock NFL Draft, NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah actually mocked Pitts to the SF 49ers at No. 12, saying the following:

"Don’t freak out, people! I know the Niners already have an elite tight end. However, they have embraced the positionless-player movement, and Pitts would team up with George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk to give Kyle Shanahan an embarrassment of riches."

Jeremiah is spot on with the idea of a positionless offense Shanahan runs. We’ve seen that with Samuel and Aiyuk already, both being featured as runners as well as wide receivers. And with the mismatch capabilities Pitts offers, it’s not hard to see Shanahan dialing up plays opposing defensive coordinators would have no means to defend.

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Generated 1/27/2021.

Pitts is going to be the first tight end taken off the boards this April, and he’s a shoo-in first-round selection.

And there’s this to consider from Jeremiah, too:

"Pitts is a long, lean tight end prospect with excellent speed, ball skills and production. He has lined up inline, flexed in the slot and split out wide. He runs routes like a wideout. The former Gator has burst off the line, sets up defenders and explodes out of the break point. He beat upper-echelon SEC cornerbacks on a weekly basis. He builds speed to separate down the seam and tracks the ball naturally down the field. Pitts has an enormous catch radius. He uses his speed to pile up yards after the catch. He showed tremendous improvement as a blocker in 2020. He fits up, doing his best to wrestle and stay attached."

The arrow is only pointing up for Pitts. And while there are other needs, the recent trend of multifaceted offensive playmakers being necessary to compete for Super Bowls almost mandates the idea the SF 49ers target him.

Kyle Pitts to SF 49ers is contingent on what happens at quarterback

The Niners could move on from their starting quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, this offseason. Should that be the case, the No. 12 overall pick comes into play in a variety of different ways.

That pick could be used to acquire one of the many top-end signal-callers expected to go early in Round 1 of the draft this year. While names like Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, BYU’s Zach Wilson and Ohio State’s Justin Fields are likely well out of reach, barring a trade-up, it’s possible others like North Dakota State’s Trey Lance or Alabama’s Mac Jones come into play at that spot instead.

Or, just as possibly, San Francisco uses that pick in a blockbuster offseason trade to acquire a veteran on the trade block. The Detroit Lions’ Matthew Stafford has been hotly discussed in many an SF 49ers circle as of late, and it wouldn’t be shocking if the Lions are asking for that pick as compensation.

Let’s say, however, the Niners are able to somehow solve their quarterbacking needs this offseason with other picks and/or player commodities. Or they simply ride things out with Garoppolo.

Suddenly, that No. 12 pick comes back into play.

Sure, San Francisco could stick with another position of need as mentioned above. But to look at a truly dynamic offensive weapon, Pitts has to be considered a contender for the SF 49ers in Round 1.