We’ve seen that anything can happen at the NFL draft every year, so we presented a hypothetical question to our readers. The scenario is if Florida tight end Kyle Pitts were to fall to 17, should the Raiders pounce?
Pitts is a consensus top ten pick and is universally being hailed as a potential game-changing talent. Many big boards have the Florida tight end in their top ten, meaning the Raiders probably won’t have a shot. However, as we see every year, anything can happen in the NFL draft. Projected top picks fall all the time for a myriad of reasons and this year, teams could shy away from drafting a tight end early. Even so, adding Pitts to a Raiders offense featuring Darren Waller, Derek Carr, and their young receiver corps could be tempting.
Pitts dominated defenses in his junior year, hauling in 43 receptions for 770 yards with 12 touchdowns and averaged 17.9 yards per reception. Pitts’ rare combination of size (6-foot-6, 246 pounds) and speed is lethal, pairing him with Waller could revolutionize the NFL. While it may sound tantalizing, the question remains if the Silver and Black would pull the trigger.
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Will the Raiders botch this draft too?
This upcoming draft for Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock is a perfect example of a team that needs to keep it simple. It’s truly amazing how many reaches and misses this organization has had these last two years. Never has the term ‘best player available’ resonated more with the Raiders than this year.
Yes, the defense needs a lot of help but that doesn’t mean that you neglect the offense. Secondly, the offense is efficient but it is by no means ‘elite’ as it faded down the stretch last year. We took the question to Twitter to see what our readers thought.
Okay #RaiderNation 🤔
If Florida TE Kyle Pitts somehow falls to #17, should the #Raiders pounce? #NFLDraft
— RaiderRamble.comâ„¢ (@TheRaiderRamble) February 21, 2021
Clearly, many folks feel strongly that the defense has to be the priority. What are your thoughts, Raider Nation? Let us know in the comments below!
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*Top Photo: 2020 Collegiate Images/Getty Images