George Kittle may be the San Francisco 49ers' best player — at least, on offense. NFL Media's Dan Hanzus predicts that the All-Pro tight end will be the team's MVP in 2021, which could be a safe bet if Kittle can remain healthy.
Kittle appeared in just eight games last season as he, like many of his teammates, dealt with injuries. Kittle still managed to haul in 48 passes for 634 yards with two touchdowns in his limited playing time. He recorded back-to-back seasons of more than 1,000 yards receiving in the two prior seasons, including a career-high 1,377 receiving yards in 2018.
"There are few football things more depressing than George Kittle in street clothes during a football game," wrote Hanzus in the feature for NFL.com. "The man was born to be a rampaging pigskin maniac, trucking would-be tacklers and pulverizing linebackers and safeties foolish enough to assume he's just another tight end who doesn't like to block. Knee and foot injuries cost Kittle half a season in 2020, but he still finished third on the Niners in receiving yards."
Kittle will likely begin the season catching passes from Jimmy Garoppolo. However, the 49ers did trade up to draft Trey Lance at No. 3 overall. The former North Dakota State quarterback will eventually be Garoppolo's successor, and it sounds like Hanzus is excited to see what that means for Kittle's statistics.
Added Hanzus: "The arrival of Trey Lance adds a fun wrinkle when attempting to project the tight end's productivity going forward: If Kittle is an all-world level producer with Jimmy G. and a coterie of backups, what would happen if he was paired with a truly dynamic young star behind center? We might find out."
Lance's inexperience has led some to question the rookie quarterback. He has appeared in just one game since January of 2020. However, Kittle has been impressed by his new teammate.
"Trey's a good quarterback," Kittle said last month. "I'm excited to see the progression that he makes. He's a hell of an athlete. Just being in OTAs with him, he's a guy that wants to learn every single day. He's competitive every single day. He doesn't let mistakes stop him. Nothing snowballs."
