Cary Edmondson/Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
49ers TE George Kittle ready to have a ladder match against Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski
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is proud to be part of the brotherhood that is NFL tight ends. Having Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce follow him on Twitter after a November matchup against the Oakland Raiders ranked near the top of his list of accomplishments from that victory.
"Travis Kelce followed me on Twitter,"
Kittle said later that week. "It was pretty cool."
Kittle quickly forged a friendship with Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper at the Pro Bowl. He loves watching film of his tight end peers to improve his own game and always cheers for their success.
Watching the film of one specific NFL tight end isn't very helpful for Kittle. That player is Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots, who
could be playing in his final NFL game on Sunday.
It's not that Kittle doesn't admire Gronkowski. He does. The 49ers tight end just feels that Gronkowski is a different kind of beast when it comes to tight-end play.
"Gronk is Gronk," Kittle told our friends over at For The Win. "He's one of the best guys to ever do it. I will watch film on all tight ends just to see how they are used in their offense and the things that they do, whether it's in the run game or running routes, how they catch the ball.
"It's hard for me to watch Gronk because he's a monster [...] He's 260. I play a completely different game than Gronk but I still just appreciate everything that he's done for the tight end position and everything that he does for his team."
Andy Nesbitt, who was interviewing Kittle, did a little homework on the 49ers tight end and was well aware of his love for wrestling. He asked when fans can expect to see him go against Gronkowski in the wrestling ring.
"If I get invited to that, I would be happy," Kittle excitedly responded. "I would let Gronk throw me out of the ring. I think that would be really fun. I'll go through a table. That would be fun.
"I'd love to have like a ladder match for a belt that's up on like a 15-foot tall ladder, push each other off. I'd enjoy that."
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