49ers’ 2019 53-man roster predictions before training camp
By Peter Panacy
Tight End (3)
George Kittle, Kaden Smith, Levine Toilolo
Like offensive line, there’s no questioning who starts for the 49ers at tight end this season.
George Kittle managed his record-setting year in 2018 with three different quarterbacks tossing him the ball. While Kittle won’t take the league by surprise this year, his presence still does an immense amount of good to Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Merely being a threat is much needed.
Yet the Niners made numerous shakeups from last season, including the Round 6 draft selection of Stanford’s Kaden Smith.
As 49ers Webzone’s Rich Madrid pointed out, Smith offers a unique skill set and could find himself in a solid niche as a complementary pass-catching tight end to Kittle, as well as someone who can adequately handle run-blocking duties.
San Francisco also brought in another solid blocker in Levine Toilolo, who’ll end up pushing out fellow tight end Garrett Celek.
Celek has yet to clear the concussion protocol stemming from a head injury suffered in Week 16 last year. Celek might have been on the roster bubble anyway, especially considering he had six penalties called against him last year with only five receptions.