49ers will not break Branch’s fall

Football Outsiders has once again taken a look at the best young players in the league who don't have a lot of playing time. The feature for ESPN casts aside first-round picks and other top prospects, and instead focuses on those who didn't receive a lot of fanfare. "This is a list of players who have a strong chance to make an impact in the NFL despite their lack of draft stock and the fact they weren't immediate NFL starters," wrote Rivers McCown. The list is a top 25 ranking, and two players represent the San Francisco 49ers. The first — 26-year-old offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill — comes in at No. 10. The

Jay Glazer, in a recent mailbag for The Athletic, was asked by a fan what a fair price would be for San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle. The team is attempting to sign the All-Pro to a contract extension beyond his rookie deal, of which he is in the final year. How do you pay someone like Kittle, though? Yes, he is widely considered to be the NFL's best tight end. Yes, he is one of the game's most entertaining young stars. Kittle is also the 49ers' best receiving threat and one of their best blockers. It's like having an extra offensive lineman out there who happens to be capable of hauling in a deep

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch sounded optimistic on Tuesday that a deal with the team's All-Pro tight end, George Kittle, would get done — eventually. "George is such a great fit for what we do," Lynch said on KNBR. "He's a tremendous player. I'm sitting here looking at the vision statement for what we want in a player, and George checks every box. He's tremendous. He's what we want to be. I think it would be silly not to figure that out, so we're going to do our best to do just that." The good news is that Kittle reported to the 49ers on Tuesday for his first COVID-19 test. Should that one and his second test on Friday return negative,