Best NFL player in 2019 was a San Francisco 49er, says football analysis site George Kittle, Richard Sherman honored by Pro Football Focus

George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers runs for a first down during a NFL game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on Dec. 8, 2019, in New Orleans. The NFL analysis site Pro Football Focus on Tuesday named Kittle the best player in the league in 2019. less George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers runs for a first down during a NFL game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on Dec. 8, 2019, in New Orleans. The NFL analysis site Pro Football ... more Photo: Sean Gardner / Getty Images Photo: Sean Gardner / Getty Images Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Best NFL player in 2019 was a San Francisco 49er, says football analysis site 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

Who was the best player in the NFL this season?

Lamar Jackson? He's a lock to win the Associated Press' MVP award. Or maybe you'd prefer Russell Wilson, who accomplished so much with such a flawed supporting cast.

Christian McCaffrey, the king of fantasy football? Michael Thomas, the Saints' unstoppable pass-catching machine?

According to Pro Football Focus, the best player in the game this season was the 49ers' George Kittle.

The NFL news and analysis site gave Kittle its highest overall grade ever for a tight end — higher than Rob Gronkowski received during his best years with the Patriots. On Tuesday, PFF announced that Kittle has been named the recipient of this year's Stephenson Award, given to the most outstanding player regardless of position and regardless of how much value he brought to the table.

Gronkowski posted bigger numbers, but Kittle was more efficient. He dominated the opposition when he did touch the ball and while blocking.

In fact, PFF states, "Gronkowski, and now Kittle, are such matchup problems for defenses precisely because they are such dominant blockers."

Indeed, who can forget the pile-driving pancake block he delivered against hapless safety Ricardo Allen in the Atlanta game? Or Kittle opening up big holes for Raheem Mostert against the Packers in the NFC Championship Game?

George Kittle was laughing as he pancaked a Falcons defender pic.twitter.com/spiHRh72kn — Kevin Jones (@Mr_KevinJones) December 15, 2019

But tight ends obviously also have to catch the ball, and Kittle has been the 49ers' favorite and most dependable receiver for two years. Of the 91 catchable targets he had this season, he dropped only two. Jimmy Garappolo's passer rating jumps 12 points when he's throwing to his big tight end.

Kittle's 95 points was the highest PFF score for any player this season — topping Jackson, McCaffrey and Wilson.

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Another 49er also received PFF honors, much to Darrelle Revis' chagrin.

On Wednesday, the publication named Richard Sherman the best coverage defender in the NFL for 2019. Pro Football Focus had previously anointed him the best cornerback of the decade.

Sherman received an overall score of 88.9, with a 90.0 rating for coverage, his best since 2014. Over the season, he allowed a passer rating of 46.8 when targeted.

RELATED: 'Enjoy the view from the couch': Richard Sherman and Darrelle Revis feud after 49ers win

Revis, nicknamed "Revis Island" for his coverage prowess, got into a Twitter feud with Sherman after Sunday's NFC Championship Game. The former Jets standout maintains that he was a better one-on-one defender than Sherman and said he was always matched against the opposing team's best receiver. Sherman normally plays one side of the field no matter where the other team's most elite receiver lines up.

Revis tried to shame Sherman in a tweet, telling him "to stop hiding in a cover 3 zone."

But PFF noted that Davante Adams' 65-yard reception against Sherman was the only time all season that the cornerback had yielded a catch of more than 25 yards. Amazingly, Sherman surrendered only 227 yards all season.

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Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate