The Detroit Lions were linked with a multitude of players for their No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, including former Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts.

Even after T.J. Hockenson posted a formidable season over the 2020 campaign, the Lions were still in the rumor mill with multiple tight ends ahead of the recent draft. In the end, the Lions opted against taking such a player and elected to instead draft former Oregon Ducks offensive tackle Penei Sewell with their first-round pick. They also bolstered several other positions over the remainder of the draft.

Still, first-year Lions head coach Dan Campbell did have an eye on Pitts, which he opened up about during a recent press conference.

“Yeah, he was definitely in the conversation,” Campbell said. “We had a lot of talks about Pitts. Brad [Holmes] and I both were really high on him. All of us were. Everybody in our building was high on him. It was certainly, he was in the talks. There is no doubt about that.”

The Lions reportedly looked to move up to the Falcons’ No. 4 pick in the draft, although it is not known whether they aimed to select Pitts had they completed such a trade.

While Pitts went on to be selected by the Falcons, Campbell has remained quite impressed with the tight end's development over this season.

“When you have his size, length and speed, and ability, explosiveness, quickness, agility and you can play multiple positions, it’s a major mismatch,” Campbell said. “It can be a mismatch. So, I think that what (Falcons coach Arthur Smith is) doing out there is really good with him. It’s funny, because when I watch the way he’s being used, it was kind of the way that we saw him.”

Nonetheless, Campbell has been much pleased with Sewell, who he views has been “doing great.”

The Lions will look to pick up a victory against the Falcons this week to secure their first winning streak since Oct. 2020.