Gil Brandt of NFL Media named Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner as the best offensive-defensive duos in the NFL heading into the 2020 season. A San Francisco 49ers duo also made his top-10 list. That would be the team's young stars — tight end George Kittle and defensive end Nick Bosa.
Kittle is entering his fourth NFL season while Bosa is entering his second. The former has posted back-to-back seasons of over 1,000 yards receiving while proving to be an outstanding run-blocker and earning Pro Bowl selections and first-team All-Pro honors along the way. The latter racked up 13 sacks, including the playoffs, en route to being named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Brandt notes that he expects the pairing of Kittle and Bosa to jump on his list in the future.
"Kittle's production as a pass-catcher (85 catches, 1,053 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns in 2019) is exemplary," wrote Brandt. "But his versatility as a run-blocker is what makes him truly special, like Rob Gronkowski in his heyday, when defenses that tried to stack the box to slow the Patriots' ground game faced the risk of getting burned through the air. Bosa's career launched about as well as could be expected, with the Defensive Rookie of the Year collecting nine sacks and 60 quarterback pressures (fourth-most in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats)."
While Bosa is years away from his second NFL deal, Kittle is reportedly "on the cusp" of his.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported last night that the 49ers are closing in on a massive deal that will make Kittle the highest-paid tight end in football.