Getty Images San Francisco 49ers All-Pro tight end George Kittle
Few NFL players are anything like San Francisco 49ers All-Pro tight end George Kittle.
Kittle, who is slated to be cashing in on a very handsome new deal this year, has established himself as one of the best overall players in the league, and he brings a sort of graceful physicality to every snap.
His personality is like a combination of WWE wrestling legend Sting mixed with the skill set of Rob Gronkowski, and that personality can be seen in full force in his 2017 workout at the NFL Scouting Combine. Kittle was not injured, but was dealing with a nosebleed at the time, and he certainly was not going to let a little blood get him down.
George Kittle’s 2017 NFL Combine Was Equal Parts Impressive and Hilarious
Alex Tran, a writer for SB Nation, shared a video of Kittle’s combine performance on Twitter Wednesday. While Kittle’s excellent hands, foot work, and route running are all on full display, the sight of him speedily and aggressively going through his combine workout with a huge chunk of Kleenex shoved up his nostril is a sight to behold:
He’s one of the premiere tight ends in the game right now, but Kittle was not considered by many to be a top-five prospect at the position. He was drafted by the 49ers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft with the 146th overall pick. Eight other tight ends were taken before he was in the draft that year, including Tampa Bay’s O.J. Howard, who was the first tight end drafted that year, and the Chicago Bears’ big-time bust, Adam Shaheen, who was taken in the second.
George Kittle’s 40-Yard Dash Was 13th-Fastest All-Time Among Tight Ends
GettyGeorge Kittle had a very impressive performance in the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine, yet was still drafted in the 5th round.
In 2018, Kittle broke Travis Kelce’s single-season record for receiving yardage, gaining 1,377 yards, and he almost broke the record for yards in a game held by Shannon Sharpe (215) but came up just five yards short. He showed numerous flashes of his abilities during his combine workout.
Kittle ran the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds, which was third among all tight ends at the combine, and 13th all-time at the position. He also had 18 reps on the bench press.
He was third in the broad jump, leaping 11 feet, and draft expert Matt Miller saw Kittle’s potential as a blocker early on: “George Kittle was 2nd best blocking TE I saw this year. Need to watch more tape. He could be moving up,” Miller tweeted.
Kittle’s full combine workout from 2017 can be seen here.
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