Fantasy Football Rankings 2021: Top 5 rookie tight ends
By Drew DeLuca
1. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Why are we even bothering here? After all, if you listen to most fantasy football experts and armchair analysts, a gold jacket has been reserved in his size, and a space for his bust has been reserved in Canton!
College coaches are great sources of soundbites and Dan Mullen, Pitts’ mentor at the University of Florida, is no exception. During the Gators’ pro day, he offered the following analysis when asked about Pitts, according to The Ringer’s Kaelen Jones:
"“He’s like, ‘Hey, (Pitts is) kind of like a unicorn,’” Mullen said. “‘And the only way you can defend a unicorn is with another unicorn. So if you don’t have a unicorn on defense, you get a problem.’”"
Kidding aside, we agree that Pitts is the clear-cut cream of this year’s crop and someone who deserves legitimate consideration as the 1.01 in tight end premium dynasty rookie drafts. Pro Football Focus named him as the best receiving prospect, regardless of position, in a draft that included Ja’Marr Chase and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith.
The fourth overall pick was the highest-drafted tight end in the history of the NFL Draft, and we expect him to produce top tier fantasy football tight end numbers as soon as next season. Speaking of numbers and accolades, let’s run through some of the features of his stellar resumé at the University of Florida:
- 2020 John Mackey Award Winner
- 2020 Unanimous All-American
- Two-time All-SEC (2019, 2020)
- 100 receptions for 1,492 yards and 18 touchdowns in only 24 collegiate games
The product of Abington and Archbishop Wood High Schools in Philadelphia is widely regarded as the best tight end product since Vernon Davis, who was drafted sixth overall by the San Francisco 49ers. Some are mentioning Pitts’ name in the same breath as Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, and Travis Kelce.
That’s high praise, and it’s not at all out of the question. We believe in his talent, so we agree that Pitts is already a clear top-tier tight end in any dynasty format before he even plays a down in the NFL.
We won’t raise an eyebrow at anyone who takes him as the TE4 in any redraft format, either. We see Pitts as a viable, dependable starter in all redraft fantasy football leagues, despite the presence of a capable (albeit inferior) incumbent in Hayden Hurst, and the fact that rookie tight ends rarely produce top-tier numbers.
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That said, please excuse us while we grab our shields and put on flak jackets, as we’re fading him just a bit in redraft leagues: at TE9, he’s ranked three spots lower than consensus (TE6). Stay tuned for our upcoming positional rankings to see how quickly he changes our minds!