No. 3: 49ers Tight End Charlie Woerner
There’s one major element to rookie tight end Charlie Woerner‘s game not needing to be overhyped: his blocking abilities.
Woerner was one of college football’s best blocking tight ends last year, and it’s safe to conclude that trait was the reason he was selected in the NFL Draft in the first place, particularly in Round 5 by San Francisco.
Because he wasn’t drafted for his pass-catching accolades:
| Receiving | Rushing | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| *2016 | Georgia | SEC | FR | TE | 5 | 5 | 50 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 50 | 10.0 | 0 | |
| *2017 | Georgia | SEC | SO | TE | 6 | 9 | 100 | 11.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 100 | 11.1 | 0 | |
| *2018 | Georgia | SEC | JR | TE | 9 | 11 | 148 | 13.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 148 | 13.5 | 0 | |
| *2019 | Georgia | SEC | SR | TE | 7 | 9 | 78 | 8.7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 78 | 8.7 | 1 | |
| Career | Georgia | 34 | 376 | 11.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 376 | 11.1 | 1 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 7/20/2020.
The overhype largely stems from another 49ers player who wasn’t much of a college receiving threat, tight end George Kittle. And like Woerner’s time at Georgia, Kittle stemmed from a run-first offense.
So, naturally, it’s a trendy thought to think Woerner will be on the same trajectory, right? All head coach Kyle Shanahan needs to do is hone an offense to feature Woerner alongside Kittle in a two-tight end package where both are legitimate threats.
Not so fast.
This wasn’t unlike a similar approach the Niners tried last year with their sixth-round pick, now-New York Giants tight end Kaden Smith, who was even more rounded as a college pass catcher than Woerner. Smith didn’t make the final 53-man roster despite some notable hype of his own.
Hopefully, Woerner isn’t on the same trajectory as Smith. But it’s foolish to think he’s on a similar path as Kittle.