The San Francisco 49ers received “additional votes” for cornerback (Deommodore Lenoir) and defensive tackle (Osa Odighizuwa), but neither cracked the top 10 in ESPN’s positional rankings.
On Friday, tight end was the position of choice. So it was a matter of how high George Kittle would be ranked, not where. For the second year in a row, Brock Bowers was ranked No. 1. There was a new No. 2, which was the spot Kittle was ranked last year. That now belongs to Trey McBride of the Cardinals. Kittle, who
still received a No. 1 ranking, came in at No. 3. Some coach or executive ranked Kittle as low as No. 8, which should probably invalidate this list.
Here’s what they wrote about Kittle:
Injury, not age, is the thing holding Kittle back. He remained dominant at age 32, with 57.1 yards per game (second among tight ends), seven touchdowns and 2.39 yards per route run. San Francisco posted a 138.4 passer rating when targeting Kittle, whose 82.6% catch rate was stellar.
“Injuries and durability are becoming a concern, but when he’s healthy, he’s still the most versatile, dominant, complete tight end,” an NFC executive said. “He’s still the gold standard for blocking, running and catching.”
Kittle is working his way back from a late-season Achilles tear but is hopeful for a Week 1 return. Kittle is one of three players with six-plus receiving touchdowns in each of his past five seasons, joining Ja’Marr Chase and Davante Adams.
According to Sports Info Solutions, Kittle was the sixth-most valuable tight end last year despite missing a month of football. Seven touchdowns in 11 games is impressive. This season, Kittle should be even better with Mike Evans. Teams will need to respect the 49ers outside of the numbers. They did not last season, and that was apparent in how defenses defended the Niners.
They dared Brock Purdy to throw the ball to the perimeter, understanding there weren’t any real weapons out there. Players like Kittle and Christian McCaffrey suffered the most from it. Kittle is right up there with Ricky Pearsall as players who will be the biggest beneficiaries of Evans’ arrival.
Here are the rest of the rankings:
4: Sam LaPorta
5: Tyler Warren
6: Tucker Kraft
7: Colston Loveland
8: Kyle Pitts
9: Mark Andrews
10: Travis Kelce
I’d have Loveland and Kraft after Kittle.
