What will make 49ers’ George Kittle the best tight end in the NFL?
By Peter Panacy
According to some top-brass members around the league, San Francisco 49ers third-year pro George Kittle isn’t the best tight end in the NFL. So how does that change?
Apparently, according to ESPN’s Mike Sando (h/t David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone), two-year pro George Kittle isn’t the best tight end in the NFL after New England Patriots superstar Rob Gronkowski retired late last month.
Speaking with numerous league executives and front-office personnel around the league, Sando reported Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was the best at this position, followed closely by the Philadelphia Eagles’ Zach Ertz.
“Kittle is good, but like many of the players who have been with Kyle Shanahan, he should feel blessed,” according to one general manager’s take, spoken to Sando. “I mean, look at what Kyle did with the backs in Atlanta. Look at what he did with Matt Ryan.”
So, if that’s truly the case, what would Kittle need to do to cement his placement atop all tight ends currently in the league?
Kittle, of course, broke Gronkowski’s single-season record for most receiving yards by a tight end last year, setting the mark late in Week 17 against the Los Angeles Rams. Kelce also broke the record Gronk previously held, but only for a brief while before Kittle eclipsed him by a sizable margin, hitting that 1,377-yard mark.
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/1/2019.
The only major difference on the stat sheet? Kelce has been at it for much longer:
| Game | Game | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | No. | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Lng | R/G | Y/G | Ctch% | Fmb |
| 2013 | 24 | KAN | 87 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0% | 0 | |||
| 2014 | 25 | KAN | TE | 87 | 16 | 11 | 87 | 67 | 862 | 12.9 | 5 | 34 | 4.2 | 53.9 | 77.0% | 4 |
| 2015* | 26 | KAN | TE | 87 | 16 | 16 | 103 | 72 | 875 | 12.2 | 5 | 42 | 4.5 | 54.7 | 69.9% | 2 |
| 2016*+ | 27 | KAN | TE | 87 | 16 | 15 | 117 | 85 | 1125 | 13.2 | 4 | 80 | 5.3 | 70.3 | 72.6% | 0 |
| 2017* | 28 | KAN | TE | 87 | 15 | 15 | 122 | 83 | 1038 | 12.5 | 8 | 44 | 5.5 | 69.2 | 68.0% | 0 |
| 2018*+ | 29 | KAN | TE | 87 | 16 | 16 | 150 | 103 | 1336 | 13.0 | 10 | 43 | 6.4 | 83.5 | 68.7% | 2 |
| Care | Care | 80 | 73 | 579 | 410 | 5236 | 12.8 | 32 | 80 | 5.1 | 65.5 | 8 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/1/2019.
Pedigree and reputation both count for something, so the panel of executives with whom Sando spoke do have a point there.
Yet there’s even more evidence Kittle might actually be better than both Kelce and Ertz.
According to Pro Football Focus, Kittle was by far the best tight end out of this trio in run blocking — arguably the second most-important attribute for the position after serving as a pass catcher — posting an impressive 73.3 run-blocking grade, which ranked ninth among qualifiers.
Kelce and Ertz graded out in this category at 59.7 and 49.4, respectively.
Based off those results, combined with the traditional stats from a year ago (from three different 49ers quarterbacks, mind you), Kittle should be the easy choice for best tight end in the NFL.
If others don’t feel that way, fine. Both Kelce and Ertz have been doing their work for longer, and that counts for a lot.
Yet if Kittle has another eye-popping season, not too far off what he and the Niners enjoyed in 2018, it’ll be next to impossible ranking him third on the current-best list at his position.
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