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3 49ers players who could win NFL MVP award in 2020

By Josh Altorfer

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 07: George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Levi's Stadium on October 07, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 07: George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Levi's Stadium on October 07, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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49ers George Kittle
Tight end George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Tight end George Kittle

OK, so a tight end has never won an MVP award in the history of the NFL. So how can we possibly make a case for the the first-team All-Pro, George Kittle?

Well, let’s start with the fact the tight end position has drastically changed over the past couple of decades.

In the early stages of NFL offenses, the tight end was a glorified blocker who would run simple routes and catch passes every once in a while. So it’s no wonder nobody at the position won an MVP back then because, well, who would vote for an offensive lineman as the most valuable player?

Nowadays a tight end is asked to block like a lineman and run routes like a wide receiver to be considered a complete player. It has become arguably the second hardest offensive position to play behind the quarterback.

Nobody has executed both blocking and receiving at the level Kittle has. Sure, there have been great tight ends, like Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates, who have put up outstanding statistical seasons that were possibly deserving of MVP consideration. However, they did not have the impact in blocking that Kittle does.

Kittle was voted as the No. 1 overall player of the 2019 season by Pro Football Focus earlier this month. You can view that list here. PFF grades players on every snap even if they are not directly involved in the play.

Football, like all sports, has moved to a more analytical way to recognize and grade players as opposed to statistics, which can be inflated or deflated depending on various team situations. Being ranked as PFF’s best overall player holds a lot of weight to executives and analysts who value the unbias grading and comparison system.

Kittle could end up in the MVP conversation in 2020 with the recognition he has gained as long as he continues to put up the stats to back it up as well. He has gone over 1,000 receiving yards in back-to-back years and nothing seems to be slowing that down. If he could finish with a double-digit touchdown total, then an argument could seriously be made that he is the most valuable player in the league.