George Kittle

[Don Wassall]

George was drafted in the fifth round but he's getting lots of positive publicity, considerably more than the far more hyped black TEs taken well ahead of him in the first two rounds. He has a great chance to start as a rookie for a rebuilding 49ers team. This is what John Lynch said about him recently:

The Niners GM, John Lynch raved about rookie tight end, George Kittle, when he spoke on the local sports radio show in the Bay Area. “He’s got some suddenness to him in his movements. He catches the ball extremely well... I think George gives us something we don’t have in a playmaker down near the red zone... We feel like George Kittle maybe gives us something where he is that guy, in a one-on-one situation you can flex him out, put him in the middle of the field and he can kind of impose his will and just out-athlete people. That has been extremely positive. We thought that coming in, but he probably exceeded our expectations.” (KNBR 680)

Here's his Combine workout, where he ran a sizzling 4.52 40, broad jumped 11 feet and had a 35" vertical:

 

[celticdb15]

Stellar athlete and the best blocking TE in this class IMO. Coming from a pro style system in college I'd say the49ers nabbed themselves a very quality value pick later in the draft. Looking forward to Kittle and Taylor this fall!

 

[Leonardfan]

Remember this last year's draft was the deepest in history for tight ends with Kittle not even being considered more than an afterthought in the class lol.

Kittle will probably be the best TE in this overrated coal black group.

 

[McCaffrey Dude]

He will burn black defensive schemes like " Kittles and Bits ".

 

[The Hock]

Facially Kittle reminds me of Heath Evans. Looks like he could be a good one. Hope he isn't just a work-out warrior. Can't wait to see. Another reason to start watching the niners again.

 

[white lightning]

Slowly the niners are becoming a team that I could watch again. I loved watching them in the Joe Montana and Steve Young days. Especially with Steve Young as he was one hell of an athlete. He was a true dual threat!

 

[Thrashen]

Kittle didn't put up amazing stats at Iowa (734 yards over 4 seasons), but he was a backup TE for much of his career and missed several games due to injury.

The speed he exhibits against much smaller (black) DB's reminds me of Travis Kelce...

 

[sprintstar]

oh my a guy that big, so very fast and has amazingly quick feet, would not want to be the guy 1 on 1 with him. 4.52 40 is only .04 slower than CM and similar abilities to cut...wow! The Negros in the NFL are not gonna be happy lol

 

[The Hock]

Good scouting report. One source has Kittle the best TE prospect in this draft.

https://www.landof10.com/iowa/iowa-tight-end-george-kittle-a-freak-athlete-and-dominating-blocker

 

[Don Wassall]

Slowly the niners are becoming a team that I could watch again. I loved watching them in the Joe Montana and Steve Young days. Especially with Steve Young as he was one hell of an athlete. He was a true dual threat!

They were pretty sly the way they bided their time picking Kittle and Taylor, knowing they would most likely still be there in later rounds as even the Patriots can be counted on to draft like Caste clowns every year.

 

[Freethinker]

They were pretty sly the way they bided their time picking Kittle and Taylor, knowing they would most likely still be there in later rounds as even the Patriots can be counted on to draft like Caste clowns every year.

There is a very real possibility they drafted 2 thousand yard receivers in the same draft, both in later rounds. How many teams will be able to claim that in 5 years? Many would think so with their "upsiders" but they'll be wrong.

 

[Thrashen]

It seems that Kittle has already won the starting TE job, as the talented, but underutilized Vance McDonald was traded to the Steelers today. This could work out well for both players...

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...e-te-vance-mcdonald-trade-san-francisco-49ers

 

[Don Wassall]

Found this in an article about the 49ers. BTW, the article is about five 49ers who will have breakout years in '18. Three of the five are George Kittle, Trent Taylor and Jimmy G.

Regarding Kittle:

Our own Chris Wilson broke down just how historic Kittle’s first year at the pro level was. Take a look:

Kittle finished the 2017 season with 43 receptions and 515 receiving yards — more than any tight end, drafted in the fifth round or later, in the history of the league.

Many proclaimed the 2017 NFL Draft to have the best tight end class in the history of the NFL, with three tight ends selected in the first round, and two more in the second. A total of eight tight ends were selected before Kittle, yet Kittle ended the season with more receptions and receiving yards than all but one of them.

The 6-foot-4 Iowa product had just two games in which he posted more than 40 receiving yards prior to Jimmy Garoppolo taking over at quarterback in Week 11.

Kittle had three after that, including a 100-yard contest to wrap up the season in Week 17.

https://ninernoise.com/2018/01/14/49ers-5-players-line-breakout-year-2018/

 

[RTTAS]

I was very happy with how Kittle played as a rookie, he’s extremely athletic for a big guy and it has showed up in his production so far. First round TE OJ Howard is a bum, as predicted, picked on “upside” alone and was PFF’s lowest graded first round rookie - even below John Ross, who had one touch for twelve yards and a fumble. David Njoku was also trash, while Evan Engram benefited hugely from staying healthy while the rest of the giants’ pass catchers were getting hurt every day, which was the reason why he had more production than Kittle. Engram also graded very poorly via PFF.

Kittle and Garrett Celek made a great combo, hopefully they continue to develop into great inside weapons for Jimmy G

 

[Leonardfan]

Pretty sure that it was only members of this forum who caught onto Kittle while the rest of the "experts" talked about it being the deepest class of TEs in NFL history - funny how after the first season Kittle comes out on top. Looking forward to all the white TEs coming into the league this yea in what really is a historical class of TEs.

 

[Don Wassall]

Can a healthy George Kittle have a breakout season for the 49ers?
With Jimmy Garoppolo at QB, Kittle had 15 catches for 224 yards in the last five weeks of the 2017 season

by Curtis Pashelka

49ers tight end George Kittle took steps to add more muscle mass earlier this year in the hopes that it’ll prevent some of the injuries that bothered him throughout his rookie season in 2017.

. . . Considering Kittle is healthy again, has started to improve his fundamentals and the numbers he put up after Garoppolo became the starting quarterback last season, there’s reason to believe he can have a breakout year.

. . . Kittle spent the offseason in Nashville training with Beathard and Trent Taylor, and said his biggest priority was getting healthy again and gaining more muscle.

“Did a lot of activation stuff, band work,” Kittle said. “Just whatever I could to strengthen the small muscles so I don’t get a tweak here, don’t get a tweak there.”

“He is a tough guy who is going to play through things, but he’s healthy right now,” Shanahan said. “He’s moving great and it’s allowing him to get better in the run and pass. That’ll continue. George has got a lot of ability.”

full article: https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/06...-kittle-have-a-breakout-season-for-the-49ers/

 

[Thrashen]

Complete highlights of the amazing game that propelled Kittle to his first 1,000-yard season and where he recorded the most receiving yards in the first half since Steve Largent in 1987...

 

[Extra Point]

Wow, Kittle is fast.

 

[sprintstar]

I agree he is extremely fast not just for a tight end, that is some serious 60m speed going on. His 40 must be in the 4.5 range.

 

[Don Wassall]

What a fantastic second season George Kittle has had!

49ers' George Kittle can break NFL season record for tight end receiving yards

by Marcus White

George Kittle is on pace for a record-setting Sunday in Week 17, but he isn't the only NFL tight end in that position.

Kittle, who leads the 49ers with 1,228 receiving yards this season, needs 100 on Sunday to break New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski's single-season record of 1,328 yards. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, meanwhile, only needs 54.

“It’s a target,” Kittle said Wednesday (via SFGate). “I definitely want to get it done. It’s not a lost cause if I don’t get it done, but it would be really fun for us.”

The 25-year-old is in the middle of one of the best seasons from a 49ers tight end in franchise history. With one game to go, he is already 263 yards clear of Vernon Davis' previous franchise record. Kittle needs only four receptions on Sunday to surpass Eric Johnson's single-season record (82), and seven more targets to surpass Davis' record (128).

Since Nick Mullens took over at quarterback in Week 9, Kittle is averaging six receptions -- on 9.3 targets -- for 92 yards per game. In other words, the NFL record for yards and the 49ers' record for catches from a tight end are well within Kittle's normal range. But, the QB said that doesn't mean the 49ers are going to force Kittle the ball.

“We’re aware of it — we know the situation,” Mullens said. “But at the same time, we’re trying to win the game. So if it happens, it happens and that’s awesome. Kittle has had one heck of a year and he deserves a ton of credit. … We’ll see how it shakes out.”

Also working in Kittle's favor is his opponent's defense. The Los Angeles Rams have allowed the 10th-most yards by tight ends this season (920), and the third-most targets. Those 116 targets have only translated into 70 receptions, however.

What isn't helping Kittle's pursuit of the record is Kelce and the Chiefs' matchup. The Raiders have allowed the fourth-most yards (998) to tight ends.

Kittle will need some luck on his side to break Gronk's record and surpass Kelce, but neither notion is out of the question.

https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/4...k-nfl-season-record-tight-end-receiving-yards

 

[Don Wassall]

Kittle broke Gronk's single season yardage record for a TE right after Travis Kelce did earlier in the day. Another less publicized record Kittle set this year -- he became the first tight end ever to lead the NFL in yards after the catch with 870! What a talent George Kittle is. Christian McCaffrey finished second in the league with 851 YAC.

 

[Extra Point]

Not bad for a fifth round pick in a "poor tight end class," which is what some in the mainstream media called it.

 

[Riggins44]

Not bad for a fifth round pick in a "poor tight end class," which is what some in the mainstream media called it.

We will be hearing for years how Kittle isn't the fastest guy in the world but he has a motor that never quits and he brings his lunch pail every day.

 

[Riggins44]

Kittle broke Gronk's single season yardage record for a TE right after Travis Kelce did earlier in the day. Another less publicized record Kittle set this year -- he became the first tight end ever to lead the NFL in yards after the catch with 870! What a talent George Kittle is. Christian McCaffrey finished second in the league with 851 YAC.

Think how many yards Kittle would have finished the season with if he had been targeted in the second half of the game he had 210 yards in the first half.

 

[Leonardfan]

Not bad for a fifth round pick in a "poor tight end class," which is what some in the mainstream media called it.

It was actually lauded as the "most athletic TE class in NFL history". Lot's of black TEs were drafted before Kittle was finally selected in round 5. Most of those "athletic" TEs have been average so far. Kittle has obviously outperformed all of them.