The San Francisco 49ers lost several veteran players this offseason who the younger guys leaned on. Names like Joe Staley, Emmanuel Sanders, DeForest Buckner, and even Garrett Celek. Sanders left via free agency, Staley and Celek retired, and Buckner was traded.
Leadership on an NFL roster can be a difficult thing to replace, but All-Pro tight end George Kittle does not doubt that there are young players ready to step up as the 49ers attempt a repeat run at the Super Bowl.
Kittle joined WEEI in Boston on Thursday and shared what some of those now-gone veterans meant to him and the 49ers.
"Joe is a legend, and we will miss him," Kittle said on the Ordway, Merloni and Fauria show. "He's the standard of football. He's everything that I love in a football player, so it will be tough with him gone. Garrett Celek was another veteran that a lot of us leaned on, the perfect teammate, kind of a glue.
"And DeFo is an incredible football player. The Colts are lucky to have him. I wish him nothing but the best. And yeah, he was another glue-guy on that defensive side of the ball."
Kittle believes players like Deebo Samuel—entering his second NFL season—are eager to step into that leadership role. The receiver shared this week that he reached out to rookies like first-round pick Brandon Aiyuk after the draft because he knows how difficult your first NFL season can be under normal circumstances.
This has been anything but a normal offseason thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, which has prevented NFL players and coaches from meeting face-to-face.
"I knew how hard it is to be as good as you want to be in this offense without thinking," Samuel said. "So I gave him a call, and I was just like, 'Hey, man, I just want you to know it's going to take time.'"
Samuel wanted Aiyuk to feel free to reach out to himself, or anyone within his position group, for help.
Said Samuel: "I was just like, 'Hey, man, you just need to lock in, pay attention. I know it's hard, but if you need anything, feel free to call any one of (the receivers) like me, [Kendrick Bourne], or even (receivers coach) Wes (Welker).'"
Samuel credits his own growth to Sanders' brief but impactful presence last season. The young receiver doesn't see himself as the vocal-type leader but more as a lead-by-example-type player.
Before he left, Sanders made sure Samuel knew how impactful adding that vocal leadership skill to his repertoire could be.
"I think, being more verbal is something that I've been working on a little bit lately," added Samuel.
It's that type of emerging leadership that Kittle believes will help the 49ers overcome some of their veteran losses.
"We have a really mature, young team," Kittle said. "I think we've been young since Coach (Kyle) Shanahan and (general manager) John (Lynch) got here. My rookie year, I think most of our team was rookies and second-year guys. It's kind of similar to that. So, luckily, with all of the traveling and everything we did last year, going late in the playoffs, going to the Super Bowl, our young guys matured. A lot of young guys, I think, are going to step up.
"Deebo Samuel was a rookie last year, and I feel like just the changes that I've seen in him in just the last three months have been incredible. He's grown up a lot. He's really looking forward to being back out there and looking forward to leading.
"Raheem Mostert, he's definitely a vet. He's a guy that came along, he exploded on the scene towards the end of the season. We all know how good Raheem is, but finally, the country gets to see that. The dude ran for like four touchdowns, 200 yards against the Packers. So we have guys that can step up."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Kittle below.