Somehow, George Kittle seems to get better with age.
Maybe that's because for the past few years, he has played with Brock Purdy, the best quarterback the 49ers have had since they drafted Kittle in 2017. Whatever the reason is, Kittle just had arguably the best season of his career last year. And he's 31.
That's why Pro Football Focus ranks Kittle the NFL's third-best player over 30.
"Kittle has solidified his place atop the NFL’s tight end hierarchy," writes PFF's Dalton Wasserman. "His 92.1 overall PFF grade led all players at the position, while his 92.4 receiving grade ranked second among all skill players, behind only Puka Nacua. Staying true to his all-around game, Kittle also finished second among qualified tight ends with a 70.8 run-blocking grade."
You could argue that Kittle is the biggest mismatch in the NFL. There isn't a linebacker or safety who can shut him down as a receiver. On another team, he might put up much bigger numbers. But on the 49ers, he shares targets with lots of good receivers. Plus Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy like to spread the ball around. So he doesn't get as many opportunities as Travis Kelce, for example.
But Kittle is faster than Kelce and more difficult to tackle in the open field. And Kittle is a far superior blocker than him as well. That's why Kelce ranks just 27th on this list.
It took Kittle a while, but he has officially passed up Kelce. They're both future Hall of Famers.