George Kittle is the MVP candidate no one's talking about
It appears Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is well on his way to capturing the NFL's Most Valuable Player award, but there's one NFC superstar who shouldn't be too far behind.
It's not Russell Wilson, Christian McCaffrey, or Aaron Rodgers. It's George Kittle.
The San Francisco 49ers tight end is the very definition of "valuable." He impacts nearly every offensive play on arguably the conference's most complete team. Kyle Shanahan's squad was an afterthought in August after a 4-12 finish last year, but Kittle has led an incredible turnaround in 2019.
Can a tight end really compete for MVP? Absolutely. The 2017 fifth-round pick is reinventing his position and should be among the few names considered.
Impact as a receiverKittle is among the league's most unique offensive weapons. Boasting a 6-foot-4, 250-pound frame and 4.5 40-yard dash time, he's simply too explosive for linebackers to defend and too big for defensive backs to cover.
| Stat | Total | TE Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Receptions per game | 6.1 | 2nd |
| Yards per game | 74 | 2nd |
| YAC | 526 | 1st |
| 20-plus-yard catches | 14 | 1st |
| Red-zone receptions | 9 | 2nd |
| Receiving yards after contact | 217 | 1st (in NFL) |
The 26-year-old has an instinctual understanding of the spaces to attack in zone coverage. In the middle of the field, Kittle has hauled in 51 of 59 targets for 621 yards and three of his four touchdowns. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has a 120.4 passer rating on such passes.
Kittle is reliable, too. With one drop on 91 targets, he's as sure-handed as they come. Forty-four of his 71 receptions have earned his team a first down.
After the catch, there's little that opponents can do to stop him. With his incredible play strength, balance, and athleticism, the Iowa product can make defenders miss with both power and finesse. No other tight end has forced at least 15 missed tackles through Week 15, according to PFF.
Shanahan's unique offense aims to exploit mismatches all over the field. With speed at every position, opponents are often unable to devote enough attention to Kittle. He makes them pay for it.
| Stat | Percentage of SF's offense |
|---|---|
| Targets | 22% |
| Receptions | 24.6% |
| Scrimmage yards | 16.3% |
| First-down catches | 25.2% |
Kittle is enjoying a historic 2019 campaign. Here's how his numbers (in only 12 games) compare to some of the decade's top tight end performances:
| Player | Season | PFF Grade | YAC | Yards/Route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Kittle | 2019 | 94.3 | 526 | 3.05 |
| Travis Kelce | 2018 | 87.9 | 574 | 2.31 |
| Greg Olsen | 2015 | 90.2 | 362 | 2.19 |
| Jordan Reed | 2015 | 89.8 | 486 | 2.45 |
| Rob Gronkowski | 2014 | 91.5 | 460 | 2.53 |
| Heath Miller | 2012 | 87.1 | 368 | 1.79 |
| Jimmy Graham | 2011 | 90.1 | 451 | 2.42 |
| Rob Gronkowski | 2011 | 92.9 | 656 | 2.37 |
San Francisco's offense is predicated on a strong ground game. The unit ranks second in rush offense and runs nearly as often as it passes. In a pass-heavy league, the 49ers are turning the table and overpowering the opposition.
Kittle, unsurprisingly, is the main catalyst. The Niners' outside zone play - one of Shanahan's preferred run calls - is much more successful when the star tight end is on the field. Here are the numbers for such runs through Week 14, per Next Gen Stats.
| 49ers' Outside Runs | Kittle ON field | Kittle OFF Field |
|---|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 4.9 | 3.0 |
| 10-plus-yard gain % | 18% | 7% |
| Success rate | 43% | 29% |
Kittle missed San Francisco's Week 10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and Week 11 win over the Arizona Cardinals. In those two games, 49ers running backs rushed for just 113 yards on 43 touches (2.63 yards per carry).
Let the evidence show that he's the premier run blocker at his position ...
Just Kittle being a monster in Week 15 per the usual pic.twitter.com/KRAXYEP0Uf
- Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) December 18, 2019
... and he's having fun doing it.
George Kittle was laughing as he pancaked a Falcons defender pic.twitter.com/spiHRh72kn
- Kevin Jones (@Mr_KevinJones) December 15, 2019
Run-blocking is what truly sets him apart from his peers. While players like Kelce, Zach Ertz, and Mark Andrews are unique talents in their own right, none possess Kittle's complete skill set.
His ferocity and technique in the run game even surpass those of Gronkowski and other all-around tight ends in recent history. What's perhaps most absurd is that he's earned a higher PFF run block grade than several offensive linemen, including Laremy Tunsil, Kevin Zeitler, and Tyron Smith. We've simply never seen a full-season performance like this.
Kittle is the focal point of the 49ers' offense in both the pass and run games. And being on an 11-3 squad in the hunt for the NFC's top seed, he's more than deserving of MVP consideration.
Copyright (C) 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.