Tre'
Mckitty.
Tre'
Mckitty.
Georgia· 6'4"· 247 lb
"A Florida State/Georgia Y-tight end with plus blocking chops and a 4.62 forty at 6'4"/246, but only 50 career catches — a Round-3 in-line TE2 projection where the run game was the argument."Pre-draft read
The player projects as an in-line Y tight end. He aligns most naturally with a hand in the dirt in a three-point stance, playing with functional length. He delivers his best reps as a run-game blocker, using his hands effectively into the second level and sustaining through contact on inside zone and duo concepts. He holds up one-on-one against strong-side edges.
As a receiver, he wins on tempo-based route concepts such as flat routes, chip-and-release checkdowns, and shallow crossers, where his release quickness and hand strength are evident. The vertical seam and downfield contested-catch elements of his profile did not translate into meaningful college production. His hand technique in the run game is a primary separator.
Predominantly a play-action heavy, run-first offense with an emphasis on 12-personnel and an inside run game (inside zone and duo concepts), utilizing the tight end for blocking and short-to-intermediate targets.
Rotational Y tight end in Year 1, with a ceiling as a starting in-line blocker and short-area receiving option.
An Air Raid or pass-heavy spread offense where the tight end is primarily a deep threat or contested-catch receiver.
A primary blocking tight end whose draft value is tied directly to his ability to contribute as a run-game piece, providing scheme versatility within play-action-heavy systems but lacking the receiving upside for pass-first offenses.
3rd Round Draft Pick Tre'' McKitty College Highlights | LA Chargers
Team-produced college highlight package covering his FSU and Georgia tape with an emphasis on in-line blocking and receiving reps.
Tre'' McKitty Highlights | 2021 NFL Draft
Pre-draft cutup showing route stems, contested-catch reps, and run-blocking angles from his college tape.
2021 NFL Draft Prospects 101 | TE Tre'' McKitty | Scouting Report
Pre-draft scouting breakdown detailing strengths, weaknesses, and Y-tight-end projection.
This player entered the evaluation process as an athletic-traits-over-production Y tight end. He displayed legitimate movement skills for his frame, with a reported 4.62 forty at 246 pounds, which kept him on draft boards despite a college receiving line that did not confirm his athletic ceiling. A team buying this player is investing in a scheme-versatile in-line piece whose primary value is his blocking ability, with any receiving contributions considered a bonus.
A meniscus procedure limited his 2020 season at Georgia, impacting his opportunity to build a receiving résumé. Across four college seasons at Florida State and Georgia, he accumulated 56 receptions, 620 total yards, and five touchdowns. Despite limited on-field receiving production, a strong Senior Bowl week stabilized his stock by showcasing his traits as an ascending blocker and a rotational Y projection.
Consensus placed him in the fourth-round range as a developmental prospect with a high floor as a blocker. The Los Angeles Chargers selected him at pick 97, which made sense for a team needing a specific blocking-Y behind an established veteran. His athletic ceiling was noted pre-draft, but the receiving production remained a consistent concern, capping his projection as a rotational rather than starter-track investment.
- 01
Play Style
The player projects as an in-line Y tight end, aligning naturally with a hand in the dirt in a three-point stance.
- 02
Run Blocking
He delivers best reps as a run-game blocker, using hands effectively into the second level and sustaining through contact.
- 03
Functional Length
He holds up one-on-one against strong-side edges, playing with functional length against various opponents.
- 04
Receiving Skills
He wins on tempo-based route concepts like flat routes, chip-and-release checkdowns, and shallow crossers effectively.
- 05
Athletic Traits
He displayed legitimate movement skills for his frame, with a reported 4.62 forty at 246 pounds.
- 01
College Production
He accumulated 56 receptions, 620 total yards, and five touchdowns across four college seasons, a limited receiving line.
- 02
Receiving Profile
The vertical seam and downfield contested-catch elements of his profile did not translate into meaningful college production.
- 03
Route Separation
Long strides and average nuance out of breaks left him tight to defenders on vertical concepts, limiting separation.
- 04
Injury History
A meniscus procedure limited his 2020 season at Georgia, impacting his opportunity to build a receiving résumé.
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Florida State | 11 | 1 | 23 | 0 |
| 2018 | Florida State | 12 | 26 | 256 | 2 |
| 2019 | Florida State | 12 | 23 | 241 | 0 |
| 2020 | Georgia | 7 | 6 | 108 | 1 |
| Career | — | 42 | 56 | 628 | 3 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Rotational Y/H-back who sticks in the league for multiple seasons on the strength of his blocking and special-teams value with modest receiving usage — the outcome McKitty has closely tracked so far.
Aspirational outcome as a plus in-line blocker who develops into a legitimate two-way Y over multiple contracts and adds real red-zone receiving value — the ceiling if the athletic testing translated into route craft.
A fourth-round Y who never turns his athletic profile into meaningful receiving production and cycles through backup roles across multiple teams — the downside if the blocking floor slipped.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Tres temporadas activas con los Chargers (2021-2023) en rol de TE2/TE3 blocking specialist: 32 juegos, 12 recepciones, 91 yardas, 0 TDs. Waived en camp 2024, firmado por Panthers al practice squad sin activarse. Fuera de rosters NFL activos entrando a 2025.
**Pre-draft context.** Tre' McKitty arrived at Florida State as a four-star tight end from Wesley Chapel, Florida, and spent three seasons in Tallahassee as a jack-of-all-trades Y whose production never matched his athletic profile — 50 catches, 512 yards, and four touchdowns across three seasons in an FSU program in transition. He transferred to Georgia as a graduate for the 2020 season, but a preseason meniscus procedure limited him to six catches for 108 yards and a touchdown in a newly installed offense. Listed at 6'4" and 246 pounds with plus movement skills for the position, McKitty ran a reported 4.62 forty at his Georgia pro day and delivered a strong Senior Bowl week that helped stabilize his stock. Consensus board settled him in the fourth-round range: a legitimate Y-tight-end frame, an ascending blocker, and an athletic profile that outpaced his college receiving production.
**NFL fit — Los Angeles Chargers.** The team selected McKitty at 97 as the developmental blocking Y behind veteran Jared Cook, with Donald Parham handling the flex/receiving role. The projection was specific: bring an in-line frame and a competent blocker on his rookie deal to a Chargers offense that had leaned on 11-personnel with Hunter Henry the prior year and needed a body that could hold up on the line of scrimmage while Justin Herbert developed a two-tight-end package within their scheme. The receiving contribution was framed as long-term upside, not year-one expectation.
**Retrospective.** McKitty spent three seasons with the Chargers (2021–2023) as a rotational blocking tight end — 11 games as a rookie with modest usage, 17 games in 2022 as a full-time Y2 behind Gerald Everett, and a 2023 season truncated by injury. Los Angeles moved on before the 2024 season; he signed with the Buffalo Bills, where he has continued as a rotational Y and special-teams contributor. His career receiving line (fewer than 15 catches through his fourth NFL season) confirms the pre-draft profile — a role player whose value lived in his blocking and depth rather than the field-stretcher upside his athletic testing hinted at. The pick landed as a rotational hit rather than a starter miss: exactly the outcome a fourth-round Y-tight-end investment can reasonably expect to produce.