Getty Former Falcons QB Matt Ryan Atlanta Falcons talks with Kyle Pitts in July 2021.
The transition from college football to the pro level is anything but easy.
However, when an experienced veteran can help you make the jump, the transition can go more smoothly.
And that’s exactly what second-year tight end Kyle Pitts was gifted last year when the Atlanta Falcons drafted him No. 4 overall and 14-year veteran QB Matt Ryan took him under his wing.
“I appreciated Matt for my first year and him introducing me to the NFL, starting my NFL career off like that,” Pitts said on June 15 during an interview on “The Rich Eisen Show.” In terms of on-the-field advice, it was “just different ways to try and take care of your body, mentally lock in, how he maybe prepared in his younger years, and maybe places where he messed up where he’s telling me not to mess up in.”
Pitts also explained how Ryan helped him with life off of the field when it came to “how to handle adversity with your family, your girlfriend, spending money — all of those different type of things.”
And while Pitts learned several lessons from Ryan, there was one piece of advice that stood out the most to him:
“The best piece of advice I would say he gave me is to live where your feet are. Take every day, you know, where it is. Don’t think in the past, don’t think in the future, live where your feet are. Everything that you do, ace it in your way. Just try and do it to your best ability, whether it’s in this building or out of the building.”
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Ryan Is Excited to See What the Future Holds for Pitts
After 14 seasons front and center, Ryan is no longer the face of the Falcons, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be rooting for his former teammates’ success down the road.
In fact, the one player that he’s really excited to see what the future holds for is Atlanta’s tight end.
“Kyle Pitts,” Ryan said without any hesitation when asked by Fox 5 anchor D.J. Shockley which guys he’s “really” excited about. “Part of the bittersweetness is, man, I really liked playing with him, and how I think he can develop into one of the very best in this league. So I’m always going to be a fan and always enjoy watching him play.”
Of course, Pitts won’t have Ryan to guide him in 2022, but you can bet that he’ll take the lessons he learned from him during his rookie year to continue to better himself.
Kyle Pitts Attends TEU
For the second straight year, Pitts is in attendance at the inaugural Tight End University summit, which kicked off June 22.
Kyle Pitts has arrived for @te_university 😎
San Francisco 49ers George Kittle, joined by the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce and ex-Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen, started the special event for the NFL’s top tight ends only. So, through June 24, some of the league’s most elite tight ends gathered in Nashville to share techniques and ideas with each other.
.@tkelce passing his knowledge down to @kylepitts__ at @te_university. What it’s all about. 🙌
Former Falcons and current Bengals’ tight end Hayden Hurst was also invited back for a second time.
Putting in work at @te_university 🦄
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