The Falcons have used top-eight picks over four straight drafts on offensive skill-position players. They’ve yet to get a return on the investment.
For the most recent player picked in the top eight — quarterback Michael Penix Jr. — the time hasn’t come for him to play. For the others, the clock keeps on ticking.
Kyle Pitts, who was the fourth overall pick in 2021, had no catches last week. For the season, he has eight catches on 15 targets, for 105 yards and a touchdown. That projects to 34 catches for 446 yards for the full season. Which would be a far cry from the 1,026-yard season he had as a rookie.
So what’s gone wrong?
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Pitts’s 2022 knee injury has slowed him down. It’s not clear whether he’ll be able to run like he did before suffering the injury. Then there’s the fact that he’s not a natural route runner. It was a challenge for former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan to figure out how to throw to Pitts. Eventually, Ryan did — and Pitts was a Pro Bowler as a rookie.
Now, new quarterback Kirk Cousins, who challenged Pitts to use his length and his speed, apparently is having the same issues Ryan had.
The first three years of Pitts’s career didn’t stop them from picking up his fifth-year option salary, at $10.878 million. It remains to be seen whether the relationship makes it to a sixth season.
Then there’s running back Bijan Robinson. The eighth pick in 2023, his numbers in 2024 haven’t improved — even though there’s a mandate on the new coaching staff to get him the ball.
Last year, he averaged 12.58 carries per game. This year, through four games, it’s 13.75. He also averaged 3.4 catches per game. This year, he’s at 3.75.
Meanwhile, Tyler Allgeier has provided a much greater return as a fifth-round pick in 2022.
In 2022, the Falcons took receiver Drake London eighth overall. He’s yet to have a 1,000-yard season, maxing out at 905 in 2023. Through four weeks in 2024, he’s on pace for 850.
Their best receiver arguably is Darnell Mooney, a 2024 free-agent arrival with 225 receiving yards in four games, 25 more than London.
Whether in the draft or free agency, teams need to build from the inside out. In recent years, the Falcons with their top-eight picks have been building from the outside in. And they face slipping to 2-3 on Thursday night, if they lose to the 3-1 Buccaneers.
