The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Falcons assistant likes progression of tight ends,
Falcons coach Justin Peelle addressed the media Friday before practice regarding his experience coaching the tight ends.
The Falcons’ tight end group consists of veterans Hayden Hurst and Lee Smith and rookies Parker Hesse and Kyle Pitts.
High expectations have been set for Pitts, a firstround pick, after he had an amazing 2020 season at Florida, when he finished with 43 catches, 770 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Peelle is excited and grateful to have a young talent such as Pitts on offense. He loves his work ethic as a rookie and how much that helps Pitts and the offense.
“He’s done a nice job of learning multiple positions,” Peelle said of Pitts’ progression early in the season. “He works at it. It helps our offense to be mobile because that’s what we want to do. He’s gives us that flexibility, him and Hayden, to move around.”
Smith, who is in his 10th season, is embracing the role of being a mentor to Pitts.
“The veteran presence,” Peelle said of Smith. “He’s been there, done that. He’s been some places, been a lot of good ones.
“He’s shown Pitts the NFL ropes, getting yourself ready and prepared, studying. He’s also the physical presence in the (meeting) room.”
Making the jump from college to NFL is tough for many players. Some can make it while others fail. When it comes to Hurst, Peelle feels that he is making the strides needed to be successful.
“At any position, there’s a jump,” Peelle said regarding improvements for his tight ends group. “He’s constantly working at it. He played in the SEC, which is the best conference, but there’s still a jump from going from college to the NFL.”
Hurst is another versatile tight end and is asked to do many things in the Falcons’ offense. Hurst is excited, but Peelle loves that he has another player who can be versatile and is in an offense that fits his skill set.
“His willingness to embrace the role has been fantastic,” Peelle said. “He can run, has speed and quickness. He can play at the line of scrimmage, and he has the mentality of, ‘I want to block and get better.’ He’s done a fantastic job since I’ve been here with him.”
Both Pitts and Hurst come from SEC schools. Peelle gave a lot of credit to the SEC helping prepare them but also praised the conference for its talent.
“My Pac-12 guys are going to get onto me for that,” Peelle said when asked about him saying the SEC being the best conference. (Peelle played at Oregon.)
“There’s just so much talent in the SEC. It just happens that those two played there. You do like that they’re playing at the top level every week. They’ve been tested, not Nfl-tested, but when they get to the NFL, they’re a little more tested.”