Tre' McKitty raises stock during strong Senior Bowl week
Tre’ McKitty picked a good time to have a great week.
Last week, during Senior Bowl practices, McKitty made it a point to impress the NFL coaches and personnel men in Mobile, Alabama, with his pass-catching ability. As a graduate transfer at Georgia, McKitty only caught six passes for 108 yards and one touchdown during the 2020 season.
With this in mind, McKitty did not want his senior numbers to reflect his skill set.
“I think I came out and put some good blocking (on film), which really helped me,” McKitty said. “My production wasn’t where I wanted it to be at all this year. But I tried not to focus too much on that, and only on the things I can control. I put my head down and continued to work. I had a good time at Georgia. I don’t regret going there or anything like that.”
Before arriving at Georgia, McKitty caught 50 passes for 520 yards and two touchdowns over three seasons at Florida State. Initially, it was thought he could be an added piece to the passing game.
However, this didn't materialize due to a variety of reasons.
Wanting to show he can be a receiver option at the next level, McKitty used the Senior Bowl week to show he can be a reliable option in the passing game. His highlight at practice came when he snagged a ball from Alabama quarterback Mac Jones with only one hand.
At the end of the week, McKitty was named the top tight end of the week on the Senior Bowl’s American Team, following a vote from the safeties and linebackers.
A multitude of factors were involved in his lack of stats in Athens. Georgia had a revolving door of quarterbacks, with Jamie Newman holding the top spot during the preseason before opting out. D’Wan Mathis then started the first game with Stetson Bennett taking over the bulk of the first six games.
JT Daniels finished the final four games as Georgia's starter. Once Daniels entered the lineup, Georgia became a downfield passing team, stretching teams vertically with receivers George Pickens and Jermaine Burton.
Those things, combined with a lingering knee injury that required an arthroscopic surgery early on, went into McKitty’s numbers being what they were.
“Georgia has a bunch of talented athletes and a lot of mouths to feed,” McKitty said. “The ball can only go to so many guys. I just made the most of my opportunities.”
McKitty also turned out to be one of the more fortunate Bulldogs during Senior Bowl week. Three of his Georgia comrades didn't have the experience they were hoping for in Mobile. Linebacker Monty Rice began the week unable to participate in practice, and didn't play in the all-star game. Impressive early at practice, offensive lineman Ben Cleveland injured his ankle, which ended his week prematurely.
The unluckiest was defensive end Malik Herring, who tore his ACL.
Defensive back Mark Webb and cornerback DJ Daniel made it through the week, with Daniel earning an honor similar to McKitty's. Daniel was named the top corner on the American Team, which was voted on by receivers.
Earlier last week, McKitty said his goal was to answer any questions NFL teams had about his knee—it still isn’t 100 percent, but good enough to play at the present time—and to show he can bring just as much value as a receiver as he did a blocker during his final collegiate season at Georgia.
Although he didn't light up the stat sheet in 2020, McKitty said he enjoyed playing in offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s system. With the players Georgia has returning for the 2021 season, McKitty believes the Bulldogs should be in for a big year on that particular side of the football.
“I think I fit well. Me and Coach Monken’s relationship definitely grew there,” McKitty said. “I think he’s a great offensive mind, and they’ll have success moving forward, especially this next year. They’re loaded and are going to have a great year on offense.”