Vernon Davis remains the all-time leading receiver among San Francisco 49ers tight ends. His 5,640 receiving yards over his 10 NFL seasons with the team ranks sixth in 49ers history. Hot on his tail is current tight end George Kittle, who has amassed 4,489 receiving yards in five years. Kittle is likely just a couple of seasons away from surpassing Davis in the 49ers record books.
Davis was at training camp in Santa Clara this past week and was asked about Kittle. Below is what one great 49ers tight end had to say about the other.
"George Kittle is unbelievable," Davis told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. "He's a wonderful talent. Every skill position, especially the tight end, they have different attributes. George Kittle, he has his ability to be able to create separation, get open, block. He can do it all.
"Of course, [the 49ers] had me doing a lot of things that he's doing now, but the way that he's doing it is unbelievable. His skill set is unmatched."
One area where Kittle may not be able to catch Davis as quickly is receiving touchdowns. In his 10 seasons with San Francisco, Davis hauled in 55 receiving touchdowns. Kittle has 20 in his five NFL seasons, recording a career-high six in 2021 and 13 in his past three seasons. Davis had two seasons in which he caught 13 receiving touchdowns.
Most view Kittle as the best all-around tight end in the league. He excels in catching the football and can be a vital blocker in the 49ers' rushing attack.
"I really appreciate that [aspect of his game], his willingness to do that, because a lot of times when I was playing, even though the position evolved, a lot of tight ends didn't want to do that dirty work," Davis admitted. "But as we all know, a well-rounded tight end is someone who's in the trenches, who has that willpower to be able to go out and get that job done. And they take pride in it. And he's one of those guys. He takes pride in blocking, and we don't see a lot of that. So that's what makes him special."