FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons rookie tight end Kyle Pitts and long snapper Josh Harris were named to the NFC Pro Bowl team Wednesday.
Pitts, who was the fourth player taken in the NFL draft, leads the Falcons in receiving with 58 catches for 847 yards. He has one touchdown reception. He needs 113 yards over his final three games to surpass Julio Jones (959 in 2011) for the most receiving yards by a rookie in franchise history.
Harris, who’s from Carrollton and is in his 10th year in the league after starring at Auburn, made the Pro Bowl for the first time. He’s snapped for every field goal and extra point and leads the team with a career-high seven special teams tackles.
“I think that he’s been exactly who we thought he was,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said of Pitts. “He’s impacted games immensely. Even (when) the ball hasn’t found his way. Like I said, he’s not even scratching the surface, guys, and he’s going to have a really productive year. So, I think that’s stating the obvious.”
Harris, with his pinpoint snapping, has been key as the Falcons have had to juggle punters and holders this season.
“You know special teams, we talked about the kicking-game guys like Josh Harris you know those guys are just super dependable,” Smith said.
Pitts is the first rookie tight end named to the opening Pro Bowl roster since Jeremy Shockey in 2002, while Harris is the first Falcons’ long snapper named to the initial roster.
Cordarrelle Patterson named as first alternate (as a return specialist). Kicker Younghoe Koo, who went to the Pro Bowl last season, and fullback Keith Smith were second alternates.
Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and cornerback A.J. Terrell were named fourth alternates.
Alternates sometimes play in the Pro Bowl, as players drop out because of their team making it to the Super Bowl or because of injury.
The Pro Bowl will be played Feb. 6 in Las Vegas.
Pitts was the highest drafted tight end in the modern era.
“I’ll just say, just playing week by week, you know, not dwelling on the past,” Pitts said recently about the key to his rookie season. “I think football is kind of like short-term memory loss. Week-to-week, you’re playing different opponents. So, you have to be able to put that behind you and worry about the next one.”
Veteran tight end Lee Smith has been a mentor to Pitts.
“Lee’s been there since first day I got here,” Pitts said. “He has just helped me on the field and off the field. Small things that kind of, you know, keep longevity in this league. Keep my body fresh and things like that.”
Historically, tight ends have not made a major impact in their rookie campaigns.
Before Pitts, Riley Odoms was the highest drafted tight end since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. Odoms, who played at the University of Houston, was taken with the fifth overall pick of the 1972 draft by the Denver Broncos.
Odoms went on to play 12 seasons and make four Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro twice, but he didn’t start a game as a rookie. He played in 14 games, caught 21 passes for 320 yards and had one touchdown.
Hall of Fame tight end, and former Falcon, Tony Gonzalez predicted that Pitts would do just fine as a rookie.
“I anticipate him having a better than average rookie year because (quarterback) Matt (Ryan) has that history with good tight ends,” said Gonzalez told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution before the season started in September. “Obviously, myself, Austin Hooper, he knows how to get the ball to the tight end. He knows how to draw up a play to get a tight end open, especially utilizing Matt’s strengths. Where does Matt like to throw the ball?”
Gonzalez got excited when he found out that former teammate Justin Peelle was Pitts’ position coach. Peelle played nine seasons in the NFL, including the 2010 season with Gonzalez and the Falcons.
“For me, Justin Peelle, that’s makes me happy that he’s going to be in that (meeting) room with Kyle,” Gonzalez said. “Kyle is in for a great career. I think a big thing that’s really important is how you start your career. Who do you surround yourself with at the beginning kind of sets the tone.
“You learn how to do it the right way from the beginning. You’ve got a guy who’s going to hold you accountable. Justin Peelle will hold Kyle Pitts accountable. There’s going to be no diva treatment there.”
Smith, a former tight ends coach with the Tennessee Titans, has insisted that the Falcons had a plan for Pitts.
“I think really good players make the really hard look easy,” Smith said. “Just watching those down-the-field catches, that’s just not normal. Even the one we threw before halftime (Sunday against the 49ers), that (Ambry) Thomas (of the 49ers) had that, (Pitts) ripped away and damn near caught it. I mean, that just shows you a man that size, his spatial awareness and body control. To me, that’s impressive.”
Pitts has kept a level head all season.
“He’s a rookie, he’s 21 years old,” Smith said. “He works every day. He’s got the right mindset. I’d argue he’s just scratching the surface of a productive year with three (games) to go, that he should impact and hopefully plays better. That’s not a negative, that’s the goal.”
Ryan has watched Pitts improve as the season has moved along.
“I think you know, route craft, understanding how to come out of cuts on different routes, what we’re asking him to do, whether it be high angles or tighter angles coming out of those things,” Ryan said. “Man (or) zone coverage. Being able to recognize that stuff quickly. I think also his releases.”
Pitts caught the league’s attention when helped the Falcons defeat the Miami Dolphins 30-28 on Oct. 24. He caught seven passes for 163 yards, including a nice one-handed grab along the sideline.
He’s since had a lot of double- and some triple-coverage.
“We’ve moved him in a lot of different spots and asked him to do a lot of different things,” Ryan said. “I think mastering all those different spots where he’s going, is a work in progress, but he’s gotten a lot better.”
Detroit coach Dan Campbell, who played tight end in the NFL, has been impressed with Pitts.
“You can put him the slot,” Campbell said. “You can attach him. You can put him motion. There are so many different ways to use him, and then when you put him with (Cordarrelle) Patterson, it’s like, man, what are they in? What are they doing ... it’s pretty good. He is definitely one of those rare talents.”
The Lions had the seventh pick in the draft and were contemplating taking Pitts if he slipped to them.
“He was definitely in the conversation,” Campbell said. “We had a lot of talks about Pitts. (General manager) Brad (Holmes) and I both were really high on him. All of us were. Everybody in our building was high on him.”
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter/AJC
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