San Francisco 49ers George Kittle got a call from Deion Sanders after Sunday's seven-catch, 210-yard performance against the Denver Broncos. He joined 95.7 The Game on Monday morning to discuss his record-breaking outing.
Also part of the discussion were some of Kittle's favorite players to watch — past and present. Obviously, every one he named was a tight end.
"My favorite player growing up was (Colts tight end) Dallas Clark, just because he's an Iowa guy," Kittle said on the "Joe, Lo and Dibs" show. "I watched him play every single game in college as a kid. Just seeing his success in the NFL, just what he did with Peyton Manning, whether it was regular season or the playoffs, just how good he was consistently. That was a guy I always watched, and I have always watched.
"Then growing up, (Chiefs tight end Tony) Gonzalez and (Chargers tight end Antonio) Gates, you can't not watch those two. They're incredible.
"Now, I try to watch as much (Chiefs tight end Travis) Kelce, (Eagles tight end Zach) Ertz as I possibly can, just because I feel with route running, we're pretty similar. I try to watch [Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski], but he's just such a different beast. It doesn't really work for me.
"I love watching (Buccaneers TE) O.J. Howard, (Giants TE) Evan Engram, just because Evan Engram is one of the best route runners. If I can pull something from him while getting maybe something in the run game, maybe from Gronk or another tight end, just something like that.
"I love watching (Colts TE Eric) Ebron too down in the red zone because he separates and makes those great catches every single time."
Kittle also discussed the tattoos he sports, one of which looks like a stock market symbol. Apparently, that one doesn't represent the second-year tight end's rising NFL stock.
"The bear paw is my family crest," Kittle explained. "Everyone in my family has a bear paw tattoo of some sort.
"Then the stock market is actually Longs Peak in Colorado. Me and my dad climb the 14,000-foot mountains every summer."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Kittle below.
