South Gwinnett News

Kyle Pitts is now the record holder for rookie receiving yards in Atlanta Falcons history as he became the first rookie tight end in 60 years to go over 1,000 yards in receiving in the NFL.

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said Pitts has lived up to expectations of being the team's No. 1 pick in April.

"He's been exactly who we thought he was," Smith told ESPN. "He's impacted games immensely. Even [when] the ball hasn't found his way."

Pitts surpassed Julio Jones' rookie receiving mark of 959 yards that was established in 2012, according to ESPN.

The rookie is now 58-yards shy of Mike Ditka's rookie tight end receiving mark of 1,076 yards set in 1961 when the league had 14 games, according to ESPN.

If Pitts breaks the tight end receiving record, he will do so in a 17-game season, which the NFL switched to this year.

ESPN reported that Pitts is the first tight end to make it to the Pro Bowl since Jeremy Shockey in 2002.

The Falcon’s website said that Pitts injured his hamstring before the end of the first half against their loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Smith told Sports Illustrated that he wasn’t sure if Pitts would be ready to go against the Saints this week.

"Probably not going to get a lot of clarity," Smith said. "We’ll just see how the week goes."

Smith added that Pitts is more concerned about helping the team win than setting the rookie tight end receiving record.

"Those things are nice," Smith said. "I’m not disregarding those things, those stats, but the only stat that matters is can we go out there and beat the Saints. That's kind of that's why we like Kyle. He wants to help the team win. That's your goal as a football player and a football coach."