The San Francisco 49ers struck gold during the 2017 NFL Draft when they selected Iowa tight end George Kittle. The team needed a solution at the position after losing Vernon Davis the previous offseason, and Kittle immediately stepped into a major role.
While Niner fans acknowledge him as one of the greatest players to ever play the position, his prime has been overshadowed at times by the Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce. Kittle's six Pro Bowls and two First-Team All-Pro nods pale in comparison to Kelce's 10 Pro Bowls and four First-Team honors.
However, with Kelce on the downswing in his career, Kittle has been encroaching on his territory. In fact, Kittle has been an All-Pro in each of the last two seasons, whereas Kelce has failed to make anything more than the Pro Bowl.
Rob Gronkowski thinks George Kittle is the NFL's best tight end
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Legendary Patriots and Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski [recently appeared on an episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dFbUu5I-UE) of "Hot Ones Versus" with Danny Amendola, his former teammate. During the show, he made a strong statement about who he believes is the NFL's best tight end.
"All right, this is easy. I'm going to answer totally: George Kittle by far," Gronkowski said. "He was All-Pro last year. He had over 1,000 yards, he had over 10 touchdowns. He's the best in the game right now. So that's an easy number one."
This confirms what Niner fans already knew, which is that time has passed Kelce by, and Kittle now reigns supreme in the landscape of NFL tight ends. If arguably the greatest player to ever play the position can recognize it, then the rest of the media and fans should not be too far behind.
**RELATED:** [**George Kittle reassures 49ers fans with definitive statement about future**](https://ninernoise.com/george-kittle-reassures-49ers-fans-with-definitive-statement-about-future-01jyj3cxr0tx)
Kittle's 78-catch, 1,106-yard and eight-touchdown performance last season was impressive in a vacuum, but the context in which he achieved these numbers is also important. Instead of playing in an offense with multiple pieces to take the pressure off of him, Kittle had to earn these numbers while being keyed on heavily by opposing defenses.
Despite being an eight-year veteran, which is considered over the hill for most tight ends, Kittle recorded the second-most yards and touchdowns of his career last season, as well as the third-most catches.
The Las Vegas Raiders' Brock Bowers surpassed Kittle last year for a spot on the All-Pro First-Team, but most would agree that the Niners' star affects the game more as a blocker. He will be hot on Bowers' tail to reclaim the throne this season, and when he does, Gronkowski will be the least surprised.
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