When the Eagles decided to trade down from No. 6 to No. 12 in this month's NFL Draft, they effectively took themselves out of the running for LSU wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase and Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, the two highest-regarded pass-catchers in this year's draft class.
It was a tough pill to swallow for the legions of Eagles fans who, staring a Top 6 pick in the face for the first time since 2013, wanted to pick a franchise cornerstone playmaker like Pitts or Chase.
To make matters worse, it now sounds like one of those two stars-in-waiting could wind up... in the NFC East.
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Here's what ESPN's Chris Mortensen is reporting about one team's pursuit of Pitts, via First Take:
"Dallas Cowboys longtime owner and GM Jerry Jones is 'infatuated' with Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts. Pitts, widely considered the best non-QB talent in this draft. The Cowboys currently have the No. 10 pick in the 2021 Draft, but Mortensen believes that Jones could trade up to select Pitts to join the Cowboys as another offensive weapon for Dak Prescott."
Yikes!
The idea of Pitts lining up as yet another offensive weapon in an already-loaded Cowboys offense is pretty concerning on its face. Dallas's offense is going to be a handful over the next half-dozen years.
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But when you throw in the possibility of "We could've had him!" thoughts every time Pitts goes up and brings down a 12-yard TD at the Linc? No thanks. Do not want.
The good thing for Eagles fans is that Jones being infatuated with Pitts is only half the equation. The Cowboys have to figure out how to move from No. 10 to No. 4. We just saw the 49ers move from No. 12 to No. 3 - not quite the same, but sort of similar - and it cost them a pair of future first-round picks, plus a third-round pick. The Cowboys might be able to get away with only surrendering one first-rounder, but you'd better believe they would be supplementing with future second- and third-round picks.
I don't blame Jones for being infatuated with Pitts, a potential game-breaking tight end at a position that has become wildly valuable over the past few years. If you can get an elite pass-catching tight end in the NFL, your offense will reap the benefits immediately.
Pitts, who stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 246 pounds, caught 43 passes for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns last year with Florida, and for his career averaged 14.9 yards per reception. He averaged 4.6 catches for 67.5 yards and 0.8 touchdowns per game over his sophomore and junior seasons.
He's a stud. Is he worth giving up significant draft capital to go and get? We'll see if Jones believes so pretty soon.
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