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George Kittle

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George Kittle
GeorgeKittle
Kittle in 2019.
No. 85 – San Francisco 49ers
Position: Tight end
Personal information
Born: October 9 1993 (1993-10-09) (age 30)
Madison, Wisconsin
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight: 250 lbs (113 kg)
Personal information
High school: Norman
(Norman, Oklahoma)
College: Iowa
NFL Draft: 2017 / Round: 5 / Pick: 146th
Roster status: Active
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-Pro (2019)
  • Second-team All-Pro (2018)
  • 2x Pro Bowl (2019, 2020)

George Krieger Kittle (born October 9, 1993) is an American football tight end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, and was drafted by the 49ers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He is a two-time Pro Bowler and a First-team All-Pro selection.

Early years[]

Kittle was born in Madison, Wisconsin and moved to Iowa at a young age. He attended Iowa City West High School in Iowa City, Iowa, Cedar Falls High School in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and Norman High School in Norman, Oklahoma.[1][2] He committed to the University of Iowa to play college football.[3] His father, Bruce Kittle, also played at Iowa and is a former college football coach.[4]

College career[]

Kittle played at Iowa from 2012 to 2016 under head coach Kirk Ferentz.[1][5][6] As a freshman, Kittle had a limited role behind senior C. J. Fiedorowicz, junior Ray Hamilton, and sophomore Jake Duzey.[7] He had his first collegiate reception, which went for 47 yards, against the Missouri State Bears.[8] Overall, he caught five passes for 108 yards.[9]

Iowa's tight end unit remained crowded for Kittle in the 2014 season. Along with the return of Hamilton and Duzey, junior Henry Krieger-Coble added to the depth. Kittle had a lone reception for 25 yards against Maryland as his only catch of the season.[10]

Kittle's role expanded in the 2015 season. On September 26, 2015, against North Texas, he scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 43-yard reception from quarterback C. J. Beathard.[11] Overall, Kittle had 20 receptions for 290 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns in the 2015 season.[12] His six receiving touchdowns ranked sixth in the Big Ten Conference.[13]

As a senior in the 2016 season, Kittle headlined a tight end unit that contained junior Peter Pekar and freshman Noah Fant.[14] He had his best statistical game against North Dakota State with five receptions for 110 receiving yards.[15] In his senior season, he had 22 receptions for 314 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.[16] During his collegiate career, Kittle had 48 receptions for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns.[17]

College statistics[]

George Kittle Receiving
Year Team GP Rec Yards Avg TDs
2013 Iowa 3 5 108 1.000 0
2014 Iowa 3 1 25 25.0 0
2015 Iowa 10 20 290 14.5 6
2016 Iowa 9 22 314 14.3 4
Career 25 48 737 15.4 10

Professional career[]

As a top tight end prospect, Kittle was one of 19 collegiate tight ends to receive an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. He completed the majority of drills, but opted to skip the short shuttle and three-cone drill. Kittle's overall performance was well perceived, as he finished third among tight ends in the broad jump, fifth in the 40-yard dash, and finished sixth among his position group in the vertical jump.[18] On March 27, 2017, Kittle participated at Iowa's Pro Day, along with C. J. Beathard, Desmond King, Jaleel Johnson, Greg Mabin, Riley McCarron, and four other prospects. He completed his combine drills, finishing the short shuttle (4.55s), three-cone drill, and also ran positional drills. Scouts and team representatives from all 32 NFL teams attended, including Cincinnati Bengals' tight end coach Jonathan Hayes.[19] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Kittle was projected to be a third or fourth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the fifth best tight end prospect in the draft by NFL analyst Mike Mayock, sixth best by NFL analyst Gil Brandt, and was ranked the eighth best tight end by NFLDraftScout.com.[20][21][22]

All values from NFL Combine[23][20]
Pre-draft measureables
Ht WtArm lengthHand size 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
6 ft 3¾ in 247 lb33⅛ in9¼ in 4.52 s 1.59 s 2.65 s 4.55 s 7.00 s 35 in 11 ft 0 in 18 reps

The San Francisco 49ers selected Kittle in the fifth round with the 146th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.[24] He was reunited with Iowa teammate C. J. Beathard, whom the San Francisco 49ers drafted in the third round (104th overall).[25]

External video
Nuvola apps kaboodle 49ers draft George Kittle 146th overall

2017 season[]

On May 4, 2017, the San Francisco 49ers signed Kittle to a four-year, $2.69 million contract that included a signing bonus of $298,287.[26]

Throughout training camp, he competed against Garrett Celek, Vance McDonald, Logan Paulsen, Blake Bell, and Cole Hikutini for the job as the starting tight end. Head coach Kyle Shanahan named Kittle the starting tight end to start the regular season.[27]

Kittle made his NFL debut in the 49ers' season-opener against the Carolina Panthers and caught five passes for 27 yards in a 23–3 loss.[28] He caught his first NFL reception on a 13-yard pass from Brian Hoyer on the first drive and was tackled by Panthers' safety Mike Adams.[29] On October 8, 2017, Kittle made seven receptions for 83 yards and his first NFL touchdown during a 26–23 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts.[30] During a Week 9 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, Kittle caught three passes for 27 yards, before leaving the 20–10 loss with a leg injury.[31] He was inactive due to the injury and missed the following game against the New York Giants.[32]

Kittle finished his rookie season with 43 receptions for 515 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games.[33]

2018 season[]

In the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings, Kittle had five receptions for 90 yards in a 24–16 loss.[34] During Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Kittle recorded an 82-yard touchdown reception as part of a 125-yard performance as the 49ers narrowly lost by a score of 29–27.[35] During Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams, he had five receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown in the 39–10 loss.[36] During Week 14 against the Denver Broncos, Kittle set a franchise record for reception yards by a tight end with 210, all coming in the first half, as well as becoming the first 49ers tight end to surpass 1,000 receiving yards.[37] During the season finale against the Rams, Kittle broke Travis Kelce's single-season receiving yards record for a tight end, less than an hour after Kelce broke the record, on a 43-yard touchdown and finished the season with 1,377 yards. The record was again broken by Kelce in 2020.[38][39]

2019 season[]

File:George Kittle 2 (cropped).jpg

Kittle in a game against the Washington Redskins

Through the first four weeks of 2019 NFL season, during which the 49ers played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers, Kittle earned the highest overall Pro Football Focus grade of any player in the NFL.[40] After a Week 4 bye, the 49ers faced the Cleveland Browns. In that game, Kittle had six receptions for 70 yards and his first touchdown of the season in the 31–3 victory. In the next game against the Los Angeles Rams, he caught eight passes for 103 yards in the 20–7 road victory.[41] Three weeks later against the Arizona Cardinals, Kittle suffered a knee injury on the first play of the game and was forced to miss the next few plays. He returned to the game and caught six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown in the 28–25 road victory.[42] However, he was forced to miss the next two games due to the injury. He returned in Week 12 against the Green Bay Packers. In the game, Kittle caught six passes for 129 yards and a touchdown in the 37–8 victory.[43] Facing the New Orleans Saints in Week 14, he made a crucial 4th and 2 catch that went for 39 yards-17 of which he made while being face-masked by Saints cornerback Marcus Williams while carrying two other defenders. The catch set up the game-winning field goal. The 49ers won 48–46.[44] During Week 15 against the Atlanta Falcons, Kittle finished with 13 catches for 134 yards as the 49ers lost 22–29.[45] Following the loss, he was named to his second Pro Bowl with over 340,000 votes.[46]

In Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs, Kittle caught four passes for 36 yards during the 31–20 loss.[47]

2020 season[]

On August 13, Kittle signed a five-year, $75 million contract with the 49ers with an $18 million signing bonus, making him the highest-paid tight end in the league.[48] After missing two games due to a knee injury,[49] Kittle returned in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football, finishing with 183 receiving yards and a touchdown as the 49ers lost 20–25. [50] In Week 6 against the Los Angeles Rams, he had seven receptions for 109 receiving yards and one touchdown in the 24-16 victory.[51] On November 5, 2020, Kittle was placed on injured reserve with a broken bone in his foot.[52] He was activated on December 25, 2020.[53]

Career statistics[]

Legend
Led the league (for tight end)
Bold Career high
Regular season statistics
Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2017 SF 15 7 43 515 12.0 44 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2018 SF 16 16 88 1,377 15.6 85T 5 1 10 10.0 10 0 0 0
2019 SF 14 14 85 1,053 12.4 61T 5 5 22 4.4 18 0 1 0
2020 SF 8 8 48 634 13.2 44T 2 2 17 8.5 9 0 0 0
Career 53 45 264 3,579 13.6 85T 14 8 49 6.1 18 0 1 0
Postseason statistics
Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2019 SF 3 3 8 73 9.1 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 3 3 8 73 9.1 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

NFL records[]

Regular season[]

  • Most receiving yards in a half by a tight end: 210[54]
  • First tight end to lead the league in yards after catch: 870[55]
  • Most receiving yards in first three seasons by a tight end: 2,945[56]

49ers franchise records[]

  • Most receiving yards in a game by a tight end: 210[57]
  • Most receptions in a season by a tight end: 88[58]
  • First tight end to surpass 1,000 receiving yards[59]

Personal life[]

Kittle married Claire (née Till) on April 9, 2019. The couple met at the University of Iowa, where Claire played basketball. Kittle has stated that he has been an avid fan of the Chicago Bears since childhood. [60][61][62]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Brown, Rick. "George Kittle returns to his roots at Wisconsin", Hawk Central, September 30, 2015. (en) 
  2. ↑ Przybylo, Robert. "Super 30: Norman's George Kittle no longer new kid on the block", NewsOK.com, June 24, 2011. (en-US) 
  3. ↑ Aber, Ryan. "Iowa football recruiting: Norman's George Kittle signs with Iowa", NewsOK.com, February 1, 2012. (en-US) 
  4. ↑ Brown, Rick. "George Kittle returns to his roots at Wisconsin", Hawk Central. (en) 
  5. ↑ Morehouse, Marc. "'Believe' always has carried Iowa's George Kittle", The Gazette, November 11, 2016. 
  6. ↑ Leistikow, Chad. "Athletic ‘freak’ George Kittle gives Hawkeyes exciting TE option", Hawk Central, August 13, 2015. (en) 
  7. ↑ 2013 Iowa Hawkeyes Roster (in en).
  8. ↑ Missouri State at Iowa Box Score, September 7, 2013 (in en).
  9. ↑ George Kittle 2013 Game Log (in en).
  10. ↑ George Kittle 2014 Game Log (in en).
  11. ↑ Leistikow, Chad. What makes Iowa the Big Ten's most-prolific big-play offense (in en).
  12. ↑ George Kittle 2015 Game Log (in en).
  13. ↑ 2015 Big Ten Conference Leaders (in en).
  14. ↑ 2016 Iowa Hawkeyes Roster (in en).
  15. ↑ North Dakota State at Iowa Box Score, September 17, 2016 (in en).
  16. ↑ George Kittle 2016 Game Log (in en).
  17. ↑ George Kittle Career Game Log (in en).
  18. ↑ Lyles Jr., Harry (March 5, 2016). NFL Combine Results.
  19. ↑ Brandt, Gil (March 27, 2017). Pro day results: Iowa, Houston, Villanova, WKU, Texas Southern.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 George Kittle, DS #8 TE, Iowa.
  21. ↑ Mayock, Mike (April 27, 2017). Mike Mayock's 2017 NFL Draft position rankings 4.0.
  22. ↑ Brandt, Gil (April 17, 2017). Hot 150: Gil Brandt's top prospects for 2017 NFL Draft (101–150).
  23. ↑ Combine Player Profiles – George Kittle. National Football League.
  24. ↑ Fann, Joe (April 29, 2017). San Francisco 49ers Draft Iowa TE George Kittle.
  25. ↑ 2017 NFL Draft Listing (in en).
  26. ↑ Spotrac.com: George Kittle contract.
  27. ↑ Ourlads.com: San Francisco 49ers' depth chart: 10/01/2017.
  28. ↑ Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers – September 10th, 2017.
  29. ↑ NFL Game Center: Week 1–2017: Carolina Panthers @ San Francisco 49ers.
  30. ↑ San Francisco 49ers at Indianapolis Colts – October 8th, 2017 (in en).
  31. ↑ 49ers' George Kittle: Hurts leg Sunday (November 5, 2017).
  32. ↑ NFL Player stats: George Kittle (2017).
  33. ↑ George Kittle 2017 Game Log (in en).
  34. ↑ Branch, Eric. "49ers' George Kittle flashes intensity, skills in season opener", SFChronicle.com, September 14, 2018. (en-US) 
  35. ↑ Larrabee, Kirk. "49ers connect on 82 yard touchdown pass from Beathard to Kittle", 247 Sports, September 30, 2018. (en-US) 
  36. ↑ "49ers' George Kittle: Scores touchdown in loss to Rams", CBSSports.com, October 21, 2018. (en) 
  37. ↑ Branch, Eric (December 10, 2018). 49ers ride George Kittle’s 210 receiving yards to upset win over Broncos.
  38. ↑ Chan, Jennifer Lee (December 30, 2018). Kittle breaks Kelce's short-lived TE receiving yards record.
  39. ↑ George Kittle 2018 Game Log (in en).
  40. ↑ Martin, Kelana (October 3, 2019). 49ers.com: George Kittle Holds the Highest PFF Grade in the NFL.
  41. ↑ 49ers remain unbeaten with 20–7 win over slumping Rams (October 13, 2019).
  42. ↑ Garoppolo throws 4 TD passes, 49ers beat Cardinals 28–25 (October 31, 2019).
  43. ↑ 49ers start 3-game gauntlet with 37–8 win over Packers (November 24, 2019).
  44. ↑ Johnson, Dalton (December 8, 2019). Watch George Kittle set up 49ers' win vs. Saints with huge catch-and-run.
  45. ↑ Matt Ryan, Falcons rally in final seconds, stun 49ers 29–22 (December 15, 2019).
  46. ↑ Four 49ers Selected to 2020 Pro Bowl (in en-US) (December 17, 2019).
  47. ↑ Mahomes leads Chiefs' rally past 49ers in Super Bowl, 31–20 (February 2, 2020).
  48. ↑ Shook, Nick (August 13, 2020). George Kittle, 49ers agree to five-year, $75M extension.
  49. ↑ Kyle Shanahan: George Kittle is "battling" through knee injury (in en-US) (September 17, 2020).
  50. ↑ Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers – October 4th, 2020 (in en).
  51. ↑ Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers - October 18th, 2020 (in en).
  52. ↑ 49ers place Jimmy Garoppolo and George Kittle on IR.
  53. ↑ "49ers Announce Roster Moves", December 25, 2020. 
  54. ↑ Eickholt, David (October 31, 2019). Former Hawkeye George Kittle is the NFL's highest-graded player (in en-US).
  55. ↑ Wagoner, Nick (December 31, 2018). 49ers' George Kittle breaks season receiving yards record by a tight end (in en).
  56. ↑ Most receiving yards in a tight end's first three seasons, NFL history (in en).
  57. ↑ Most receiving yards in a game by a tight end, San Francisco 49ers (in en).
  58. ↑ George Kittle Ends Historic Season with 88 catches, 1,377 Yards and Five Touchdowns (in en-US) (December 30, 2018).
  59. ↑ Madson, Kyle (November 18, 2018). TE George Kittle on historic pace for 49ers (in en).
  60. ↑ Fucillo, David (January 12, 2019). Five 49ers take in Iowa upset of Ohio State.
  61. ↑ Bonilla, David (September 27, 2018). How tight end George Kittle used 49ers resources to propose to his girlfriend (in en).
  62. ↑ Wagoner, Nick (August 19, 2019). Does George Kittle ever have a bad day? (in en).

External links[]

Template:49ers2017DraftPicks Template:San Francisco 49ers roster navbox

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