Kyle Shanahan Compares Charlie Woerner to George Kittle
George Kittle is arguably the NFL's best tight end. He and Travis Kelce are the two tight ends that are lofted into this discussion and they are two totally different players stylistically. Kittle is more of an end of the line, traditional tight end whereas Kelce dominates from within the slot, becoming a mismatch for against linebackers and safeties that are left guarding him.
So, any time a player — especially a rookie — is compared to one of these players by their head coach, it's worth noting.
That's exactly what happened this week as Kyle Shanahan compared former Georgia tight end, Charlie Woerner to George Kittle. I spoke to SI.com's Grant Cohn who covers the 49ers over on All49ers.com. He said this of Woerner:
"When Kyle Shanahan compared Worrner to George Kittle this week, it was clear Woerner would make the team. Shanahan sees a similar skillset between them. They’re run-blocking enthusiasts who are so hard to tackle in the open field. And no one schemes people open better than Shanahan. Woerner should contribute to the offense right away."
As Cohn mentioned, Shanahan is well renowned for his ability to scheme his players open, and Woerner has clearly displayed a dynamic ability after the catch during his early days with the 49ers. Woerner has been more known for his blocking abilities during his collegiate days, and it's something that's kept him on the roster in the NFL, but Kittle has led the league in yards after the catch and that's what's made him such a weapon in the NFL. For Shanahan to have seen that in Woerner comes as a bit of a surprise if I'm being completely honest.
Though we never really got to see it in Athens from Woerner. He only had 34 career receptions over a four-year career with Georgia. Though he did average over 11 yards per reception.
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