Position: Tight End
Height / Weight: 6’4″ 245 lbs.
Age: 25 / Experience: Rookie
College: Brigham Young
Analysis:The Baltimore Ravens selected TE Dennis Pitta in the 4th round of the 2010 NFl Draft. It was somewhat surprising to see the Ravens select a TE after they had just selected one in the previous round. Clearly the need to add depth at the position, as well as the clubs feeling that he was a 4th round steal, made Pitta too good to pass up.
During his career at BYU Pitta established himself as a tremendous pass catching TE. Not only does he have great hands and the athleticism to get down the field and create mismatches when covered by linebackers, but he also is a very polished route runner and has a knack for finding soft spots in defenses. Pitta brings great flexibility to the TE position since he was used in multiple ways in BYU’s wide-open passing attack. Pitta is also a mature, high character player who should learn the Ravens offense quickly.
2010 Outlook:There should be ample opportunity for Pitta to see the field in his rookie year. Obviously, Todd Heap will start, but Pitta has every chance to end up second on the depth chart should he out-perform fellow rookie TE Ed Dickson. There is also the issue of Heap’s health and whether or not he will be able to make it through the season healthy. Should Heap go down Pitta and Dickson will need to step in and perform at a high level. While Pitta is not as physically gifted as Dickson or Heap, he has shown well at the Ravens mini-camps. He runs great routes, knows how to get open, two things Cam Cameron will love in his offense. Pitta will need to gain experience lining up on the line as a TE, since he was spread out wide often in college. He also will need to dedicate himself to becoming a better blocker. Pitta does not figure to be a top target for Joe Flacco in 2010, but he can be a productive and reliable target for the Ravens for years to come.
