Kittle's ranking is the highest by a 49ers player since linebacker Patrick Willis landed at No. 27 in 2014.
The NFL Top 100 Players list is voted on by players and is based on performance during the previous year and predicted performance during the upcoming season. The list is in its ninth season on NFL Network.
Kittle is coming off a record-breaking season when the 49ers' dangerous downfield weapon set an NFL record for the most single-season receiving yards by a tight end. He finished the year with 88 catches for 1,377 yards with five touchdowns.
Catching the football isn't even the part of football Kittle enjoys the most. His favorite plays are those in which the football doesn't end up in his hands. The tight end loves blocking opposing defenders.
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"I personally think if you can move a guy from point A to point B against his will, that's a better feeling than scoring a touchdown, in my opinion," Kittle said in January. "If you can put a guy on his back and he doesn't want to be on his back, it's a great feeling. There is not much that can beat that."
The 49ers made Kittle a fifth-round selection out of Iowa in 2017. He has caught 131 passes for 1,892 yards with seven touchdowns through his two NFL seasons.
So far, NFL Network has revealed the players ranked No. 21 through 100. The only other 49ers player on this list so far is Dee Ford, who landed at No. 67.
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