Falcons GM: ‘No way we weren’t drafting Kyle Pitts’
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Leading up to the draft, nobody truly knew what the Falcons planned on doing with their No. 4 selection. While some felt the team would go for a quarterback, others felt Atlanta would either trade down or draft tight end Kyle Pitts.
Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot recently spoke on Atlanta’s decision to draft Pitts during a guest appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
“No way we weren’t drafting Kyle Pitts right there on the spot,” stated Fontenot. “I talked to a lot of former general managers and assistant general managers and people I respect in the business, and everyone else, they made that same pick.”
Fontenot even addressed that he had an open line for teams looking to trade up, but nothing came through that was worth moving on from Pitts.
“We did have an open line and we listened to teams, and you have to listen and see if there is going to be compensation that just knocks your socks off,” continued Fontenot. “So, we listened and we didn’t have any offers that really moved the meter in that way.”
When the 49ers made their blockbuster move to trade up to No. 3 overall, many anticipated the Falcons would receive a similar offer. However, no other team was willing to give up that much draft capital to take the No. 4 selection from Atlanta. Justin Fields fell to pick No. 11 and Chicago, who traded up from 20 to 11, landed the OSU quarterback many had pegged for the Falcons. As for Alabama’s Mac Jones, he fell to New England at pick No. 15.
After restructuring Matt Ryan’s contract and the team using multiple picks to build up the offensive line, it is reasonable to believe that Pitts was always the top choice for Atlanta.
