Tight End 

BYU

6-4 245

40 time: 4.63

Draft board overall prospect rank: #55

Draft board tight end rank: #3

Overall rating: 77*

 2/27/10: Not necessarily known as an elite athlete as rather a guy with good hands, Pitta benched 225 pounds 27 times, 2nd most among tight ends, and ran a 4.63 40.

1/18/10: Over an entire career, its tough to find a tight end who was more productive than Pitta. After he came back from his Mormon mission in 2007, Pitta looked like a man among boys catching 204 passes for 2726 yards and 19 touchdowns in three years. The only thing, he practically was a man among boys. Because his mission lasted two years, Pitta is currently 24 years old and does not have a huge upside. He’s probably better than half of the starting tight ends in the league right now with his good agility and soft hands, but scouts don’t really think he’s going to get much better than that. He’d be an ideal fit for a west coast offense and can help a team out right away, but his lack of upside, along with Rob Gronkowski surprisingly declaring for the NFL draft, he could slip to the 3^rd round. 

Update (11/2/09): Could start at tight end for about 8 NFL teams right now, but he’s 24 and has little upside. 

            8/8/09: Dennis Pitta is one of the most talented pass catching tight ends in college football and could start for a bunch of teams in the NFL right now. At 6-5 250 with a mid to late 4.6 40, his too big of a matchup for defensive backs and too fast for linebackers. He’s an excellent route runner and has an extremely high football IQ. He has great reliable hands and put up amazing stats last season for BYU with 83 receptions for 1083 yards and 6 touchdowns. Don’t diminish those stats because he plays in the Mountain West. The MWC is as good as any BCS conference and BYU played one of the tougher schedules in college football last season. Despite his big frame, he’s not a great blocker and will function best in the NFL as purely a pass catching tight end, paired with a good blocking tight end or a good offensive line. NFL scouts could be scared off by his age. The reason he plays and looks so mature on the NFL is because he actually is mature. He, like everyone who goes to BYU, had to go on a 2 year Mormon mission, so he’s essentially a 6^th year senior. He doesn’t have huge upside. His stats did come in a very pass heavy BYU offense. Despite his height, he has yet to establish himself as an end zone threat. He’d probably fit best in a west coast, pass heavy offense where he can use his hands, size, and great route running abilities to make a ton of short catches and where he wouldn’t have to block as much. With another big season, he could become a 2^nd round pick. Right now I have him on the border between the 2^nd and the 3^rd rounds. The tight end is not always one of the most targeted position in the first two rounds and I still have Pitta ranked behind Jermaine Gresham and Rob Gronkowski because I think they are better natural athletes with higher upsides. However, Pitta is still a fine prospect who could start for about 8-10 teams in the NFL right now, with his best fit being for a west coast offense team.

NFL Comparison: Chris Cooley 

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here