San Francisco 49ers: Power ranking top 10 players entering 2020

49ers Tight End George Kittle

As if this was ever going to go any other way.

Tight end George Kittle is the 49ers best player, not just because of his elite pass-catching skills or his elite skill with the ball in his hands, but because of how those combine with top-level blocking to create the most efficient and effective tight end in football.

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Kittle’s receiving numbers during his first three years in the league are historic for his position, yes, but he seems to derive just as much pleasure out of pancaking a defender in run blocking or using a certain Arizona Cardinals’ head as a human basketball while running for a touchdown.

The presence of Kittle essentially forced the Cardinals to select former Clemson defender Isaiah Simmons to fill the middle of their defense in order to stop the Niners’ tight end.

That’s how you know you’re dealing with the best of the best.

The only downside heading into 2020 is Kittle will enter it as a pending free agent, and barring any changes in the coming weeks, isn’t scheduled to be part of the 49ers organization after 2020.

But general manager John Lynch has been clear about his intentions to keep Kittle around, recently stating that Kittle’s extension is a priority and that he’s “very confident in due time, we’ll get that done.”

What that contract looks like remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt that Kittle will be worth the money over the length of the contract.

Kittle is both the emotional rudder of the team, especially the offense, and its best player.