George Kittle is the starting tight end for the San Francisco 49ers. He played football and basketball in high school before committing to the University of Iowa to play college football. Kittle played on an offense that prided itself and still prides itself on its ability to run the ball. Kittle's college stats are therefore that impressive, as he only caught 48 passes during his four seasons with the team, gaining 737 yards. He scored ten touchdowns in his final two seasons.
George Kittle's workout metrics ahead of the 2017 NFL Draft were nothing short of breathtaking. These included 96th percentile 40 time, Speed Score, and wing span. But they were highlighted by his 99th percentile Agility Score. The 49ers still waited until the 5th round before selecting Kittle.
Kittle enjoyed a massive sophomore breakout season in 2018. He led all tight ends with 1,377 receiving yards, with 857 yards after the catch. This was a single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end. This record has since been broken by Travis Kelce. Kittle paced all tight ends with 3.49 Yards per Pass Route run and Air Yards Share with 26.4%. Kittle had 210 receiving yards against Denver in Week 14, all of which came in the first half of the game. He posted 1,000 yards again in 2019 and once again led all tight ends in YAC AND YPPR.
Before the 2020 season, Kittle signed a five-year, $75m contract with the 49ers, making him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. Kittle only played eight games in 2020 as he battled MCL and foot injuries. He again led all tight ends in YPPR and was No.2 in Yards per Target. Kittle led all tight ends in 2021 by playing 92.4 percent of the 49ers' snaps and was No.4 in receiving yards despite only 346 routes run, the 19th most at the position. He was second in YAC among all tight ends. He didn't struggle with drops, with just one drop all season long. Kittle has been top 4 in Expected Points Added (EPA) in the last four seasons. Despite the low number of routes Kittle runs, assuming he stays fit he should be one of the first tight ends in ADP in 2022.
