Getty George Kittle celebrates a touchdown on November 13, 2022.
Turns out George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey have a lot in common with one another — according to the “People’s Tight End.”
The San Francisco 49ers All-Pro tight end got on the NFL Network’s Good Morning Football on Tuesday, June 13 to speak highly of his running back teammate, who will soon have his first full regular season alongside Kittle for the first time in his 49ers venture.
In the past, “Run CMC” and Kittle would only team together for a Pro Bowl. But turns out that as Kittle has gotten to know the All-Pro back, his personality is equal to the tight end’s…to the point Kittle called him a “weirdo,” but in a playful way.
“And it turns out, at the end of the day, he’s also funny, and he’s a great dude. And so he fits our locker perfectly well. And he’s also a weirdo, just like me, which means you’re usually a good football player,” Kittle said.
Kittle Likes Fact McCaffrey Has Locker Next to Him
What additionally helps the growing camaraderie between Kittle and McCaffrey is that inside the 49ers’ facility, their lockers aren’t far from one another. It’s next to each other.
Kittle is entering his seventh season in the NFL, also the number of seasons McCaffrey has been in the league as both were part of the 2017 draft class. Kittle is also older than McCaffrey by two years. However, the perennial Pro Bowl tight end believes he’s learned a lot from the younger talent.
“Man, McCaffrey is one of a kind,” Kittle said to GMF. “Just being able to be in a locker next to him, being able to block for him, see his mindset every single day in the locker room, on the practice field, how he takes care of his body. He is a professional. Everything he does is to set him up for success on the football field, and you love to be around guys like that.”
Kittle added: “You love guys with that mindset. It is infectious. Other guys watch that mindset. They watch how he prepares. They watch how he does his own thing. They watch the time he commits to everything, the film he watches. And so everything he brings to the table is positive for the Niners.”
McCaffrey Earned Praise From National Analytics Outlet
Even with the change of scenery, plus playing in not even a full season with the 49ers and adjusting to the Kyle Shanahan zone read offense, McCaffrey’s play still earned plenty of praise ahead of minicamps.
In fact, Pro Football Focus ranked McCaffrey as the third best running back ahead of the 2023 campaign — even earning the title of “still one of the biggest difference makers at the position” by PFF’s Trevor Sikkema.
“If you heavily weigh receiving ability into where a back should be ranked in an exercise like this, McCaffrey would probably be No. 1. His 92.6 receiving grade was the best at the position last season, and it marked his fourth season with an elite grade in that category. His rushing grades haven’t been as strong, but he’s averaged more than 4.5 yards per carry in each of the past two seasons,” Sikkema wrote. “Even if his rushing numbers are inflated a bit due to the friendly Shanahan system, McCaffrey is still one of the biggest difference makers at the position.”