Tre McKitty

09 Aug Preseason Scouting Notes: Tre McKitty, TE, Georgia

Posted at 16:00h in 2020 Scouting Reports by
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Senior | 6’5″ 245 lbs | Wesley Chapel, FL 

 

An in-line tight end who wins as a receiver with solid change of direction, ability to read coverage, and good positional blocking skills

 

Overview:

Tre McKitty went to Florida State as a 3-star recruit and was a two-year starter, but transferred to Georgia for his senior season. In Tallahassee, he wasn’t very productive, only racking up 50 catches for 520 yards and two touchdowns in 20 games. However, that could be more indicative of the poor quarterback play and overall instability of the program over the last couple of years. Florida State used McKitty in the short to intermediate passing game as both an-inline tight end and slot receiver, as well as a zone blocker against linebackers in the running game. The Wesley Chapel native is solid at creating separation against linebackers on short routes with solid change of direction skills and is good at attacking the voids in zone coverage in the intermediate range. As a run blocker, he has good hip mobility and body positioning to help create rushing lanes on zone runs when blocking the second level.

Strengths:

– Solid acceleration/explosion off the LOS to get behind LBs in zone coverage
– On intermediate routes, he’s good at recognizing coverage to find and sit in the holes against zone coverage
– Recognizes blitz and snaps his head around as the hot read
– Solid COD to create separation against LBs on short 90-degree or more routes
– Good after the catch with good vision to find lanes, solid acceleration, solid agility to make LBs miss. Fights for extra yards and consistently falls forward after contact
– On split zone, he displays good quickness, stays tight to the LOS, and has good mental processing to find and pick up the most dangerous defender
– Good tempo when working up to the second level with solid play strength and good hip mobility to take on half a man and create rushing lanes

Areas to Improve:

– On vertical routes and drags, he lacks the acceleration to create separation against athletic LBs in man coverage
– Merely adequate at selling the run on play-action
– In contested-catch situations, he displays only sufficient physical toughness to make catches through contact from safeties
– Not explosive on his sharp cuts on 90-degree routes
– Struggles to catch balls below his waist because he’s only adequate at catching with his hands flipped over
– Late timing with his hands and wide placement on all blocks, exposing his chest and allowing defenders to shed his blocks
– High pad level and wide hand placement limit his push against physical LBs and negate his ability to move DL
– Blocking effort diminishes as the game goes on

Injury concerns:

– 2019: Undisclosed injury (Missed one game)

Projection:

McKitty has the potential to climb up draft boards this season if he can increase his production playing at a more stable program with better surrounding talent. Currently, he projects as a fifth- or sixth-round pick and would be a good fit for a team that uses a zone-heavy running scheme and is looking to add depth at the H tight end spot. In the passing game, the former Seminole can be a threat in the short to intermediate areas and after the catch.

What to Watch in 2020:

Can he be more productive in a new system with more talent at quarterback? Jamie Newman also transferred to Georgia in the offseason and is widely regarded as a one of the better pro quarterback prospects in the draft class. This should benefit McKitty, though both players will have to pick up the Bulldog’s system and learn how to play with each other quickly, which could very difficult given the unprecedented offseason due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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