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This week marked the beginning of the long-awaited "Tight End University," which was formed by 49ers tight end
George Kittle, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and former NFL tight end Greg Olsen.
The event gathered around 50 NFL tight ends in the Nashville, Tennessee area, and its first day was spotlighted by the NFL on its Instagram story.
To start the day, Olsen shared that the event would span over 2.5 days, covering everything about the tight end position.
"We got 50 of the top tight ends in the NFL together for a 2.5 day summit on all things tight end. Day one today's been awesome."
On the Pardon My Take podcast, Kittle said that a motivation to start the event was his feeling that the tight end spot is extremely valuable, yet very under-appreciated in football, highlighting the salary disparity with other positions.
"Like [Greg Olsen] said, we're still getting paid less than a lot of other positions, and I feel like the tight end does a lot. You look at the last 10 Super Bowls, I think every team that's won has had a dominant -- like a very, very talented tight end. It has to do with winning Super Bowls. I think that's the most important thing, so you might as well pay the tight ends. I just kind of want that number to keep going up."
During the event, Kelce was shown giving tips on footwork and direction, showing his usual energy to the eager learners.
Kittle seemed to enjoy his camp as the group behind him was seen focusing on its releases off the line of scrimmage. The tight end once again highlighted his goal of seeing everyone get better.
"We're working on our releases out here," Kittle said, "we're out here getting better guys, that's fun."
Many notable faces were in attendance, including Atlanta Falcons rookie Kyle Pitts, who came out to learn from the veterans and soak up the information in before his first NFL training camp.
In fact, Kittle mentioned the Falcons rookie on the Pardon My Take podcast and how beneficial the two-day camp would be in smoothening that transitional period from college to the NFL.
"Like I said, when tight ends come together, you can learn," Kittle shared. "What's more important? Like (Falcons rookie) Kyle Pitts, he's going to be really good, but the NFL is faster than college, and if he can sit in a room for two days and learn from guys like Greg Olsen, me, Travis Kelce, Marcedes Lewis, Luke Stocker — I mean, you've got vets in there — you can learn a thing or two. It's just going to take guys' careers, hopefully, on an uphill trajectory."
The event resumes today, the summit's second day, which will give players another opportunity to improve their craft as they head towards training camp.
Despite initial reports, two draft prospects who were set to visit the San Francisco 49ers ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft ultimately did not meet with the team. Matt Barrows of The Athletic revealed that former USC wide receiver Brenden Rice and former Oregon safety Jamal Hill didn't end up visiting the Bay Area organization.
Barrows wrote, "Meanwhile, a report in March indicated that USC receiver Brenden Rice, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, would visit the 49ers, but he didn't end up coming, according to two league sources."
Justin Melo of The Draft Network first
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
