Falcons Could’ve Drafted Ja’Marr Chase But Chose Kyle Pitts Instead

Getty

MADRID, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 08: Ja'Marr Chase of Cincinnati Bengals scores his team's first touchdown during the 2026 NFL Madrid Game match between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Atlanta Falcons at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on November 08, 2026 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

The Atlanta Falcons could’ve had Ja’Marr Chase on their team.

In the 2021 NFL Draft, Chase was on the board when the Falcons made their first pick. If they had gone for the LSU superstar then, the Falcons wouldn’t be getting shredded by Chase in Madrid, Spain on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026.

But that draft day didn’t result in the Falcons taking Chase.

Instead, Atlanta took Kyle Pitts — and that choice hasn’t aged well.

Ja’Marr Chase has more yards (142) against the Falcons than any other receiver who’s faced Atlanta this season.

It’s the second quarter.

— Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) November 8, 2026

Kyle Pitts, Ja’Marr Chase in 2021 NFL Draft

The 2021 NFL Draft began with a pick everyone was expecting: The Jacksonville Jaguars took Trevor Lawrence out of Clemson to be their franchise quarterback as the No. 1 overall pick.

The New York Jets stuck with quarterback at No. 2 with Zach Wilson out of BYU.

Then the San Francisco 49ers traded up to No. 3 to get Trey Lance, another QB, out of North Dakota State.

Quarterbacks are a different equation, so those teams can be faulted, but in a different way.

It’s the Falcons at No. 4 who are fascinating. They took Pitts and not Chase.

Pitts was an athletic tight end out of Florida with tantalizing potential. Chase was a dominant star receiver from LSU.

Atlanta went with the positional rarity potential of Pitts.

Chase has turned into an NFL superstar, though, while Pitts is mostly frustrating.

Impact on Drake London

The Falcons’ No. 1 WR, Drake London, wasn’t on their team yet at the time of the 2021 NFL Draft. They didn’t take him until 2022.

But if Atlanta had taken Chase in 2021, that probably changes the outcome of London in his draft. Maybe he goes elsewhere — or the Falcons really load up on the WR position and end up with Chase and London, which would’ve been their equivalent of the Bengals’ Chase and Tee Higgins.

That’s an alternate reality, though, and the Falcons can’t travel back in time. They can’t end up with Chase.

Chase is as good as any receiver on the planet. The Falcons took Pitts instead. And mostly, it’s hard to say anything but that Atlanta got it wrong.