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San Francisco 49ers: 5 best tight ends in franchise history

By Logan Stanley

Sep 7, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis (85) catches a touchdown pass in the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 7, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis (85) catches a touchdown pass in the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /
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15 Dec 1996: Tight end Brent Jones of the San Francisco 49ers catches the ball during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The 49ers won the game 25-15. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport
15 Dec 1996: Tight end Brent Jones of the San Francisco 49ers catches the ball during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The 49ers won the game 25-15. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport /

At Niner Noise, we have been taking a look at San Francisco 49ers’ positional reviews for the best to ever do it. In this installment, let’s rank the top five tight ends in franchise history.

Editor’s note: With San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle on the verge of setting a new team record in a season for receiving yards, Niner Noise takes a look back at some of the best at this position to don the red and gold over the years.

Consistent with the recent past, the historical legacy of the tight end position for the San Francisco 49ers franchise is one that is ultimately unimpressive. Reserved for a few individuals, it is a rather short list.

That hopefully will not be the case in the future, as the team is currently trying to revamp the position with the drafting of rookie George Kittle and signing of undrafted rookie free agent, Cole Hutikini. Those two look set to battle it out with Vance McDonald, Logan Paulsen and Garrett Celek for the reps at tight end in 2017.

Out of those, Kittle looks the most promising with rave reviews so far for the 23-year-old rookie out of Iowa. It will be a welcome change for the franchise, who historically have lacked at the position.

Here are the top five tight ends to play for the 49ers.

*Note: all statistics are gathered from Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.