"He was a really unique athlete but wasn't a really highly thought of prospect by most people. [43] Three weeks later against the Arizona Cardinals, Kittle suffered a knee injury on the first play of the game and was forced to miss the next few plays. Dwelley flashed some moments in 2019 in relief of Kittle, but the former isn’t exactly going to be the next up-and-comer. [20] On March 27, 2017, Kittle participated at Iowa's Pro Day, along with C. J. Beathard, Desmond King, Jaleel Johnson, Greg Mabin, Riley McCarron, and four other prospects. [26] He was reunited with Iowa teammate C. J. Beathard, whom the San Francisco 49ers drafted in the third round (104th overall). George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images). Doubtful, or else they wouldn't have waited until the fifth round to draft him. But those project players are the types teams often grab late in the draft anyway. The 49ers won 48–46. Build your custom FanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis on San Francisco 49ers and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. [45] Facing the New Orleans Saints in Week 14, he caught a crucial 4th and 2 catch that he carried 39 yards down the field, 10 of those yards made while being face-masked by Saints cornerback Marcus Williams. In three seasons, George Kittle has gone from fifth-round draft pick to the best tight end in football. [38] During Week 14 against the Denver Broncos, Kittle set a franchise record for reception yards by a tight end with 210, all coming in the first half, as well as becoming the first 49ers tight end to surpass 1,000 receiving yards.

Ravens DC Don 'Wink' Martindale on the lookout for rowdy Eagles fans Sunday, The Premier League has a VAR crisis. 3 on most NFL rosters, positionally. Kittle has become one of the most dominant players in the NFL, and he is due for a big payday soon. [19], As a top tight end prospect, Kittle was one of 19 collegiate tight ends to receive an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. Did the 49ers believe Kittle would be a good NFL player? George Kittle has spent his entire career so far with the 49ers, signing a shiny brand new 5-year contract this season for $75 million with an additional $18 million signing bonus.The 49ers have made it clear that they want him to stick around for the long haul, making him the highest-paid tight end in the league. [49], On August 13, Kittle signed a five-year, $75 million contract with the 49ers with an $18 million signing bonus, making him the highest-paid tight end in the league. [3][7][8] As a freshman, Kittle had a limited role behind senior C. J. Fiedorowicz, junior Ray Hamilton, and sophomore Jake Duzey. By: Jaime Eisner July 4th, 2020 2020-07-04T09:00:00-07:00 The Draft Network Photo: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports Kittle had a lone reception for 25 yards against Maryland as his only catch of the season. The key to building quality roster depth in the NFL is consistently finding prospects in Rounds 3-5 who can be productive NFL starters. [12], Kittle's role expanded in the 2015 season.

[52], Kittle married Claire (née Till) on April 9, 2019. [32] During a Week 9 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, Kittle caught three passes for 27 yards, before leaving the 20–10 loss with a leg injury. Your privacy is safe with us. George Krieger Kittle (born October 9, 1993) is an American football tight end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL).

The NFL has a solution, Beckham tests negative, cleared to rejoin Browns for game, More mistreatment claims hit Washington, including Dan Snyder's alleged threat toward cheerleading director, The 13 Most Beautiful Fox News Anchors, Ranked, Leeds honour Rob Burrow with memorable Challenge Cup final win over Salford, LeBron James is already back in the gym after Finals win, and has a new workout partner, How women have been the driving force for culture change in sports, These Are The Most Paused Movie Scenes Of All Time, Inter Milan vs AC Milan LIVE: Latest score, goals and updates from Serie A fixture tonight, Classic Spy Photos Of The Week: Aborted Acura NSX With V10 Engine, The Astros didn't get to Game 7 on momentum. At the same time, there’s a strong chance the Niners bring aboard another tight end with a low ceiling, yet potentially high enough an upside. [28], Throughout training camp, he competed against Garrett Celek, Vance McDonald, Logan Paulsen, Blake Bell, and Cole Hikutini for the job as the starting tight end. [10] Overall, he caught five passes for 108 yards. Moss’ LSU teammate, Stephen Sullivan, is raw and looks more like a big-bodied wide receiver. Even if that pick winds up being yet another tight end.

[47] Following the loss, he was named to his second Pro Bowl with over 340,000 votes. [60][61][62], "2019 NFL season: 49ers' George Kittle leads top 10 tight ends", "Former Hawkeye George Kittle is the NFL's highest-graded player", "George Kittle returns to his roots at Wisconsin", "Super 30: Norman's George Kittle no longer new kid on the block", "Iowa football recruiting: Norman's George Kittle signs with Iowa", "Athletic 'freak' George Kittle gives Hawkeyes exciting TE option", "Missouri State at Iowa Box Score, September 7, 2013", "What makes Iowa the Big Ten's most-prolific big-play offense", "North Dakota State at Iowa Box Score, September 17, 2016", "Pro day results: Iowa, Houston, Villanova, WKU, Texas Southern", "Mike Mayock's 2017 NFL Draft position rankings 4.0", "Hot 150: Gil Brandt's top prospects for 2017 NFL Draft (101–150)", "Combine Player Profiles – George Kittle", "San Francisco 49ers Draft Iowa TE George Kittle", "Ourlads.com: San Francisco 49ers' depth chart: 10/01/2017", "Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers – September 10th, 2017", "NFL Game Center: Week 1–2017: Carolina Panthers @ San Francisco 49ers", "San Francisco 49ers at Indianapolis Colts – October 8th, 2017", "49ers' George Kittle flashes intensity, skills in season opener", "49ers connect on 82 yard touchdown pass from Beathard to Kittle", "49ers' George Kittle: Scores touchdown in loss to Rams", "49ers ride George Kittle's 210 receiving yards to upset win over Broncos", "Kittle breaks Kelce's short-lived TE receiving yards record", "49ers.com: George Kittle Holds the Highest PFF Grade in the NFL", "49ers remain unbeaten with 20–7 win over slumping Rams", "Garoppolo throws 4 TD passes, 49ers beat Cardinals 28–25", "49ers start 3-game gauntlet with 37–8 win over Packers", "Watch George Kittle set up 49ers' win vs. Saints with huge catch-and-run", "Matt Ryan, Falcons rally in final seconds, stun 49ers 29–22", "Mahomes leads Chiefs' rally past 49ers in Super Bowl, 31–20", "George Kittle, 49ers agree to five-year, $75M extension", "Kyle Shanahan: George Kittle is "battling" through knee injury", "Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers – October 4th, 2020", "Most receiving yards in a season by a tight end, NFL history", "49ers' George Kittle breaks season receiving yards record by a tight end", "Most receiving yards in a tight end's first three seasons, NFL history", "Most receiving yards in a game by a tight end, San Francisco 49ers", "George Kittle Ends Historic Season with 88 catches, 1,377 Yards and Five Touchdowns", "TE George Kittle on historic pace for 49ers", "Five 49ers take in Iowa upset of Ohio State", "How tight end George Kittle used 49ers resources to propose to his girlfriend", "Does George Kittle ever have a bad day? Yet if the Niners are thinking about pushing Dwelley down the depth chart and Helm off of it altogether, it wouldn’t be a shock to see one of those day-three picks used to do so. Powered by Minute Media © 2020 All Rights Reserved. Yes. Along with the return of Hamilton and Duzey, junior Henry Krieger-Coble added to the depth. He attended Iowa City West High School in Iowa City, Iowa, Cedar Falls High School in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and Norman High School in Norman, Oklahoma. As far as the NFL Draft is concerned, just how big a priority is it for general manager John Lynch and Co. to get a supplementary No. We'll never pass along your email address to spammers, scammers, or the like. The catch set up the game-winning field goal.

Kittle's overall performance was well perceived, as he finished third among tight ends in the broad jump, fifth in the 40-yard dash, and finished sixth among his position group in the vertical jump. Even at tight end, which helps explain why there were reports the Niners were pursuing veteran tight ends this offseason. [3][4] He committed to the University of Iowa to play college football.

[30] He caught his first NFL reception on a 13-yard pass from Brian Hoyer on the first drive and was tackled by Panthers' safety Mike Adams. [50] After missing two games due to a knee injury,[51] Kittle returned in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football, finishing with 183 receiving yards and a touchdown as the 49ers lost 20–25. "I don't know if anybody really knew how good George was going to be, but we had targeted him, and we had really a third-round draft on George. San Francisco has Kittle on its roster, of course, yet it will need to come up with what promises to be the largest contract ever given out to a player at his position. And they won't win it with a narrative, Dak Prescott’s injury gives Cowboys a chance to show some faith in a messy contract negotiation, Jimmy G, secondary key to 49ers staying atop NFC long term, 49ers had third-round grade on George Kittle but gambled in 2017 NFL Draft. The couple met at the University of Iowa, where Claire played basketball. But someone like Stanford’s Colby Parkinson or LSU’s Thaddeus Moss could be on the radar. [18] During his collegiate career, Kittle had 48 receptions for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns. Beathard. [40][41], Through the first four weeks of 2019 NFL season, during which the 49ers played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers, Kittle earned the highest overall Pro Football Focus grade of any player in the NFL. Unlike 2019, the 2020 draft class isn’t deep at tight end.

As far as another under-the-radar sleeper, don’t overlook UCLA’s Devin Asiasi or Oregon’s Jacob Breeland.

That's a big leap for a guy who wasn't highly touted coming out of Iowa. It’s unlikely the Niners will have that magnitude of fortune again on day three of the 2020 draft, although there’s always hope one of the team’s five picks between Rounds 5 and 7 wind up being a superstar. [35], In the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings, Kittle had five receptions for 90 yards in a 24–16 loss. Did they think he would stiff-arm and bulldoze his way to elite status in three seasons? George Krieger Kittle (born October 9, 1993) is an American football tight end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). [42] After a Week 4 bye, the 49ers faced the Cleveland Browns. George Kittle and Travis Kelce are a cut above the other tight ends in fantasy football, but how early should you consider taking them and which one should go first? [34], Kittle finished his rookie season with 43 receptions for 515 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games. He completed his combine drills, finishing the short shuttle (4.55s), three-cone drill, and also ran positional drills. In the next game against the Los Angeles Rams, he caught eight passes for 103 yards in the 20–7 road victory. Scouts and team representatives from all 32 NFL teams attended, including Cincinnati Bengals' tight end coach Jonathan Hayes. [17] In his senior season, he had 22 receptions for 314 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. If you can do that year after year then your roster will be set up to contend for Super Bowl titles. [27], On May 4, 2017, the San Francisco 49ers signed Kittle to a four-year, $2.69 million contract that included a signing bonus of $298,287. The 49ers don't need a prolific tight end in the 2020 NFL Draft with George Kittle around.