George Kittle committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes as a 205 pound, three-star wide receiver out of Norman, Oklahoma. Five years and 42 pounds later, he is leaving Iowa City as one of the most devasting run-blocking tight ends in college football.

It should come as no surprise that Kittle’s father, Bruce, played on the offensive line for Iowa.

One consistency throughout Iowa TE George Kittle's tape? Physicality. Watch as he completely erases #42 here.https://t.co/Ppi4JaJZnG — Rob Donaldson (@RobDFB) August 9, 2016

Player Profile

Kittle surprised many with his athleticism at the NFL Scouting Combine. He weighed in at 247 pounds, 12 more than his listed playing weight and he still ran a 4.52 second forty-yard dash, a blistering time for a player his size.

Because the Hawkeyes are predominantly a running team, Kittle did not get a chance to show off his athleticism as much as some of the other tight ends in this freakish class.

There were moments, though, like this one:

Iowa tight end George Kittle had an awesome one-handed catch in the first half against Maryland. pic.twitter.com/mW18mv2ZIJ — Dr. Saturday (@YahooDrSaturday) October 31, 2015

Kittle is fast and physical, making him an automatic fit for the Atlanta Falcons roster, but his versatility is what makes him valuable.

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How would the Falcons feature him?

When general manager Thomas Dimitroff commented on getting more athletic at the position vacated by Patrick DiMarco during an interview on 92.9 the Game, it sounded like he was describing an H-back. Kittle’s ability as a blocker and his expert knowledge of inside and outside zone plays (he says he can draw them in his sleep) means he could step right in and block for both Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman.

However, Kittle is more of a mismatch on linebackers than DiMarco ever will be. Atlanta’s offense is designed to create these mismatches and Kittle can be motioned out wide where the Falcons can utilize his speed and he can be a legitimate threat on every passing down.

Some of Kittle’s big plays came when he began to block at the snap but then slipped off of his man and ran up the seam. Atlanta created several explosive plays in 2016 having tight end Levine Toilolo do the same.

Kittle is not as polished as a route runner as other tight ends in this class, perhaps because he hasn’t had as many opportunities in the passing game, but offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian can design plays to maximize his athleticism and speed while he gets better at this aspect of the game.

In this way, Kittle can be a bigger and faster version of Jacob Tamme. The possibility of filling two spots on the roster with one player has to be extremely enticing.

Highlights

Draft Projection: 3rd-5th Round

The tight end class is so talented that it is difficult to project what round many of them will be taken in. Teams that put an emphasis on physicality and blocking from their tight ends will love Kittle and could take him as high as the third round.