There was a pass catcher last year
who may have had the quietest 1,000 yard season I’ve ever seen.
Not DeAndre Hopkins, not Chris Godwin,
not even Calvin Ridley.
It was George Kittle of the San Francisco Forty Niners.
As much as we like to talk about this guy as a complete tight end,
as a blocker, as a contributor in the run game,
he is a damn good receiver,
and last year he exhibited that better than ever.
I think most of us think of George Kittle as a physically imposing,
dominant player
and forget the savageness and finesse he has in the receiving game.
Like this is one on one with Julian Love.
Off man. He gets a little bit of a chip from this defensive end too.
So Julian Love should have no problem coralling a guy
that’s a little slower than him,
a little bit bigger than him,
but in reality, George Kittle gets him right off the line,
gets the ball after, makes a couple people miss,
and scores a touchdown.
I know the Super Bowl brings up bad memories for Niners fans,
but I don’t want people to forget this.
Fourth and three. George Kittle one on one with Justin Read,
a guy who again, is quicker than him,
probably a little smaller than him.
On a pure off man pass concept,
you expect the safety, not the bigger body tight end,
to win. But in reality,
Kittle’s pretty quick getting out of his Break.
He’s savvy enough to make sure he gets this first down.
Should be no secret that after the catch George Kittle’s really good,
too. Another prime example here.
Fourth and 4. Get off, man. Again.
He’s going away from leverage,
so it’s probably a little bit easier for him to get open here.
But watch him after the catch, right?
Makes one guy miss, he’s gonna stop, drop,
break somebody’s ankles while giving him a stiff arm to finish the job
and get a couple more yards after the catch.
Kittle may be the most complete tight end in the NFL,
but I don’t want that to discount his receiving ability.
He’s still an elite pass catcher in this league.