San Francisco 49ers: A Way-Too-Early Look at Position Needs for 2018

San Francisco 49ers: A Way-Too-Early Look at Position Needs for 2018 by Peter Panacy

The San Francisco 49ers took advantage of a deep NFL Draft class at tight end and selected former Iowa TE George Kittle in Round 5. While the stats don’t say much, Kittle may wind up being one of the biggest steals from draft day.

Statistics can’t describe everything when evaluating new San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle.

But for any player taken on day three of the NFL Draft, statistics and big names aren’t going to be the deciding factors.

The Niners went this route in Round 5 of the draft, taking Kittle at No. 146 overall to bulk up an offense going through a complete overhaul.

Kittle wasn’t as big a name as fellow collegiate tight ends, like O.J. Howard and David Njoku, coming out in the draft. But that doesn’t mean Kittle lacks talent. If anything, he may wind up being one of the better selections San Francisco made over the course of this year’s draft.

That’s saying something, especially considering the Niners’ two first-round picks — Solomon Thomas and Reuben Foster.

Both of those players help the defense. But San Francisco’s poorly ranked offense needs playmakers.

Kittle provides that and then some.

Misleading Numbers

Thankfully, most NFL scouts don’t base their analysis solely off numbers. If they did, Kittle wouldn’t have cracked too many teams’ radars.

Kittle, who redshirted his freshman year at Iowa, never amassed more than 320 receiving yards in a season and only hauled in 10 touchdowns over his four-year collegiate tenure:

Sure, these numbers don’t provide much. But his film reveals a lot more (h/t Rob Lowder of Niners Wire):

#49ers new TE George Kittle is one of the best blocking tight ends in the draft, but he’s no slouch in the pass game. pic.twitter.com/dZTrNGrTw9 — Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) April 29, 2017

The 6-foot-4, 247-pound tight end also had an impressive performance at the NFL Scouting Combine. He posted a 4.52 40-yard time, which ranked third among all TEs participating in the event.

So speed is also a part of his game. And he could easily wind up being an H-back, as described by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, which would fill a need the Niners have lacked since the days of former tight end Delanie Walker.

Oh, and his hands are pretty good too. Just ask Pro Football Focus’ Jeff Deeney:

George Kittle had one of the top blocking grades among TEs in this class and QBs had a 114.2 passer rating when targeting him in 2016 #49ers — Jeff Deeney (@PFF_Jeff) April 29, 2017

And Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller also had similar feelings:

Things I said right before the Niners picked: "I hope they draft George Kittle here" — Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) April 29, 2017

Tremendous Potential for the 49ers

Had Kittle played at a more prolific program than Iowa, it’s highly likely he would have been a day-two pick.

Kittle’s lackluster numbers certainly hurt his draft stock. But when comparing him to someone like Howard, it’s easy to see why the 49ers found a late-round gem:

OJ Howard: 6-foot-6, 251 pounds, 4.5 40, 45/595/3TD, 13.2 YPC

George Kittle: 6-foot-4, 247 pounds, 4.5 40, 22/314/4TD, 14.3 YPC — Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) April 29, 2017

Kittle may not quite be on the same par as Howard. But he isn’t far behind either.

And it isn’t as if he’ll have a tough road to climb San Francisco’s depth chart.

Right now, the Niners have tight ends Vance McDonald, Garrett Celek, Blake Bell, Logan Paulsen and Je’Ron Hamm on the roster. Paulsen, a free-agent pickup, is a staple of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense and will likely tutor the rest of the crop.

Bell and Hamm are fringe players and probably won’t make the 53-man roster. Celek may stick around as a No. 3 option.

That leaves McDonald as the lone challenger to Kittle starting right away in 2017.

San Francisco shopped McDonald leading up to the NFL Draft, so that tells us much of what’s to know about how the franchise feels about him.

McDonald, taken in Round 2 back in 2013, has mostly been a disappointment — known more for dropped passes as a flurry of injuries since joining the pro ranks. It’s highly unlikely the 49ers feel he’s a part of the long-term solution.

But Kittle is.

And based off the projection and potential, Kittle may wind up being one of the best impact players the Niners grabbed in the draft.