Latest TE Ranking Proves How Important George Kittle is to the 49ers

What a flattering ranking for George Kittle.

November 24, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) during the fourth quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Another player from the San Francisco 49ers has made the cut as a top-10 player at their position.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler has been releasing a series of articles surveying NFL coaches, executives, and scouts to rank the best players at each position.

This time around, it is the tight end position, which, unsurprisingly, has George Kittle in the top-10. That was to be expected, but what isn't expected is where Kittle has been ranked.

Nursing a torn Achilles and being 32 years old can be depreciating factors that lower his value. However, he is still viewed as an elite player, which is why he was ranked as the No. 3 tight end.

Kittle earns high spot in tight end ranking

Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle before action against the Philadelphia Eagles in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Injury, not age, is the thing holding Kittle back," wrote Fowler. "He remained dominant at age 32, with 57.1 yards per game (second among tight ends), seven touchdowns and 2.39 yards per route run. San Francisco posted a 138.4 passer rating when targeting Kittle, whose 82.6% catch rate was stellar."

If it wasn't clear before, it's certainly clear by now that Kittle is important to the 49ers. He's a vital figure on their team, as this latest ranking depicts.

Kittle is highly regarded by figures throughout the NFL. The fact that he's coming off a devastating injury, will turn 33 during the season, and is still ranked No. 3 shows the caliber of player he is.

"Injuries and durability are becoming a concern, but when he's healthy, he's still the most versatile, dominant, complete tight end," an NFC executive said to Fowler. "He's still the gold standard for blocking, running and catching."

This ranking should act as a reminder to the 49ers. They mustn't rush Kittle back from his Achilles recovery. Now, I'm not saying that is what they're doing.

But all of this talk about him being ready to play in Week 1 seems reckless. Even if his Achilles is fine by then, you'd like him to have several weeks to ramp up.

I'd imagine that is what the 49ers will do, especially since they're traveling all the way to Australia. All of their routines will be massively adjusted, which is more crucial to Kittle than others at this time.

The 49ers need Kittle to go as far as they can this season. Without him, a couple of other star players, their ceiling will be capped.

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