Kittle trailed only Kansas City's Travis Kelce, who earned one of the few 99 overalls in the game, making Madden's 99 Club.
There's been a consensus top three tight ends in the NFL: Kelce, Kittle, and Oakland's Darren Waller, and many different rankings have placed the three in different orders.
Earlier in the offseason, Kittle ranked first among tight ends on ESPN's Jeremy Fowler's rankings, ahead of both Kelce and Waller.
Kittle has a wide variety of skills in his toolbox, so it makes sense that he ranks among the top ten tight ends in virtually every important field.
Remember his infamous play against the New Orleans Saints on fourth-and-two, on which Kittle muscled through the defense for a large gain, eventually setting up a field goal?
Well, Madden sure does, because Kittle ranks first in toughness with a 98 rating, trucking with an 84 rating, stiff arm with an 85 rating, and break tackle with an 81, second in ball carrier vision with a 90, and third in strength with an 82 rating.
Kittle's route running is also nothing to sleep on: he's third in short route running at an 85 rating, second in medium route running, in which he excels with an 83 rating, and third in deep route running with a 76 rating.
But, perhaps the most underrated aspect of Kittle's game is his blocking ability, which is a major reason why San Francisco's running game excels the way it does.
Kittle ranks second in run blocking with a 77 rating behind underrated Ravens tight end Nick Boyle. In addition, Kittle ranks first in run block power with a 73 rating and in impact blocking with a 68 rating.
After being the best tight end in the game a year ago with a 98 overall, Kittle missed half of last season due to injury, but still managed to accumulate 634 yards on 48 catches.
Now, after returning to full strength, the tight end will be eager to get back to playing a full season and showcasing his entire skillset as the 49ers aim to make a playoff push.
Written By:
Writer/Reporter for 49ers Webzone
All articles by Rohan Chakravarthi
Rohan Chakravarthi
Writer/Reporter for 49ers Webzone
All articles by Rohan Chakravarthi
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