Pete Prisco of CBS Sports recently named 10 NFL players who are poised to have breakout seasons in 2018. Only one team was represented twice on the list – the San Francisco 49ers.
Prisco predicts tight end George Kittle and safety Adrian Colbert to take leaps forward this year. Both are entering their second NFL seasons. Kittle was a fifth-round draft pick in 2017 while the 49ers selected Colbert in the seventh round.
"Usually, it's players who seemed to figure it out in the second half of the previous season," wrote Prisco. "They might have honed a technique or learned new moves or figured out the speed of the game, which means less thinking and more reacting."
Kittle recorded 43 receptions for 515 yards with two touchdowns through 15 game appearances and seven starts in 2017. Here is what Prisco had to say about the 49ers tight end.
"[H]e flashed star potential at times, including in Week 17 when he had four catches for 100 yards against the Rams, with one catch going for 44 yards. Kittle saw his snap counts dwindle a bit down the stretch for some reason in 2017, but I expect him to be the primary pass-catching tight end this season for the 49ers. My guess at his numbers: 64 catches, 770 yards and seven touchdowns."
Colbert started six of the 49ers' final seven games last season. He registered 37 combined tackles, five passes defensed, and two forced fumbles through 14 game appearances. Here is what Prisco had to say about the 49ers safety.
"Colbert is a player that other coaches kept mentioning to me late last season as a potential big-time starter. He came on strong for the 49ers last season as a 2017 seventh-round pick. Colbert's big-hitting ability showed up in the run game – his nickname is 'The Punisher' – but he also has the ability to play well in coverage. With Colbert's emergence after Jimmie Ward went down with an injury, the plan now is to give Ward some reps at corner this year. That speaks volumes about a seventh-round rookie. Keep an eye on this thumper out of the University of Miami."
Prisco further explained his choices of Kittle and Colbert while on the Pick Six Podcast.
"This kid has the ability to be a dominant tight end, particularly as a pass catcher," he said of Kittle. "He's a willing blocker too. Don't get me wrong."
Prisco was particularly complimentary of the 49ers' young safety.
"Adrian Colbert is going to be a special player now," he continued. "You talk about a find in the seventh round. He can run, he's physical, he calls himself "The Punisher," and there's a reason for it ... He can fly, and he flies to the ball. He might be the next great safety in this league. That's how impressed I was with what he did down the stretch."