DALLAS — Jerry Jones is reportedly infatuated with tight end Kyle Pitts. Therefore, that is who the Dallas Cowboys will take No. 10 overall in Round 1 of the 2021 NFL draft.
After all, the Cowboys' publishing their interview with then-Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts before last year’s draft clearly meant that they were not looking to re-sign Dak Prescott to a contract extension. And then Prescott's exclusion from a hype video released in early February also meant that the team would let him walk in free agency.
Meanwhile four years and $160 million later…
The talk of the Cowboys going with the impressive Florida tight end is understandable. In an era where athletic pass-catchers such as Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz, and George Kittle have been key parts of their teams' success, why not add a 6-6, 246-pound specimen to Dallas' already formidable receiving arsenal?
Who would defenses cover when they had to account for receivers Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and the rookie tight end from Florida?
The problem for Dallas is they have not done a good job scouting tight ends, which is probably why they should avoid taking Pitts, even though he did grab 12 receiving touchdowns in the SEC in 2020.
Since the Cowboys hit the jackpot and selected Jason Witten in the third-round in 2003, they have drafted nine tight ends: Sean Ryan (2004), Anthony Fasano (2006), Martellus Bennett (2008), James Hanna (2012), Gavin Escobar (2013), Geoff Swaim (2015), Rico Gathers (2016), and Dalton Schultz (2018). Fasano, Bennett, and Escobar are especially notable as the Cowboys used second-round selections to take players that had trouble fighting Witten for snaps.
The argument could be made that Witten was so good that he gobbled up all the reps for these younger tight ends to thrive. However, from 1996, the first season after Jay Novacek’s tenure as Troy Aikman's safety blanket, and Witten’s arrival, the Cowboys took four tight ends: David LaFleur (1997), Rodrick Monroe (1998), Mike Lucky (1999), and Bob Slowikowski (2002).
LaFleur was the only premium pick at No. 27 overall, and the other three tight ends were taken in the last two rounds of the draft.
LaFleur's career could be considered a bust. He only lasted four years with the Cowboys and he never cracked the 40-catch threshold or 400-yard threshold, marks which Novacek consistently met from 1991, his first Pro Bowl season, to the end of his tenure with Dallas.
Dallas does need to consider taking the best player available with their No. 10 overall pick, even if that means the best player is a tight end. However, the Cowboys do have a player entering the final year of his contract in Schultz, who was a breakout player in 2020 when starter Blake Jarwin went down with a torn ACL in Week 1.
"I just want to win," Schultz said on Dec. 18, 2020. "If that means I have two catches and five yards the whole season, that's great, as long as we're winning games. What matters to me really isn't the stat sheet. It's about me taking the steps that I need to take from my own game and my own development in terms of being a football player. I think when you give your best to the game, the game gives it back, and that's something I've always liked about football. Some of the work that you put in, you obviously see some positive returns out of that."
The former Stanford product caught 63 passes for 615 yards and four touchdowns in a passing offense that saw four different quarterbacks start and also featured a dangerous trio of receivers.
Instead of forcing a tight end at No. 10, Dallas needs to make sure they take the right pick.
"I think you’re definitely, if you’re picking 10th instead of 27, 28, 29, it’s a lot longer night then if you’re back there at 28, 29th," coach Mike McCarthy said on March 26. "The pool of players, there’s more movement up there potentially. Just picking 10th is different than 20. There’s more time to watch what’s going on in front of you. In some years, there’s more movement than others. But I would say, the process, I’ve been a part of one staff that had pick 1, the focus is still trying to get it right and getting the best player that fits your football team."
Pitts may be an infatuating player, but the Cowboys' history of missing on tight ends, especially in the top-50, should be a warning that they ought to pass.
Do you think the Cowboys should take the plunge and select tight end Kyle Pitts or do they need to focus on defense? Share your thoughts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.