San Francisco 49ers: Regrading 2017 NFL Draft class
By Peter Panacy
GEORGE KITTLE. A++. . Tight End. Iowa
Round 5: 49ers Tight End George Kittle
If there were more plusses to tack on to the fifth-round selection of Iowa’s former tight end, George Kittle, we’d do it.
Kittle was an absolute steal in Round 5, and Niner Noise can take some pride in predicting that would happen.
Because we did.
His rookie season, Kittle set a modern-era NFL record for most receiving yards by a tight end his rookie season (570) drafted in Round 5 or later. But that was only the start. In 2018, Kittle’s 1,377 receiving yards set the league’s new record for most by a tight end in a single season. And by the end of 2019, Kittle’s 2,945 receiving yards set yet another record for most receiving yards by a tight end over his first three seasons in the NFL.
Yet there’s so much more to Kittle’s game than just the stats. He has emerged as one of the best blockers in the game, too, making him the most well-rounded tight end today.
And a 2019 first-team All-Pro as well.
One can make the argument the 49ers’ failures and gaffes earlier in the 2017 draft were almost entirely erased by what Kittle has provided to the team since being selected.
The hope is it will continue for many seasons to come.