Is 49ers' George Kittle deserving of top TE ranking?

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle had an amazing 2023 campaign even if it wasn’t his best statistically. Kittle was named First-Team All-Pro for the second time and a fifth Pro Bowl selection.

Kittle’s season is held in such high regard that he’s ranked No. 1 by Pro Football Focus among all TEs in the NFL heading into the 2024 season. Yes, Kittle is also ranked above Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce.

It’s hard to argue against them being No. 1 & 2 at the position regardless of order. But has Kittle really surpassed Kelce as deserving of that best-in-the-league designation? In contrast over at ESPN , Kittle finished second behind Kelce in their ranking of the top-10 TEs in football.

"He's more explosive [than Kelce] at this point…Deep in-breaking routes, delays, and boots and keepers -- he's just a problem with the ball in his hands,” an NFL personnel director told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN about Kittle.

Despite catching fewer passes than Kelce last season, Kittle finished with more yards, yards per reception and touchdowns. Kittle went over 1,000 receiving yards (1,020) for the third time in his career, caught six TDs and averaged 15.7 yards per reception. He accomplished all that by catching 28 fewer balls than Kelce.

However, when their teams battled head-to-head in Super Bowl LVIII , Kelce outperformed Kittle (who left briefly with a shoulder injury) catching nine passes for 93 yards while his counterpart caught just two passes for four yards.

While overall statistics weigh heavily in these rankings, head-to-head matchups during the biggest game in the sport also have a way of influencing these lists. Kittle has been viewed as one of the top TEs in the NFL for some time now but has rarely been considered the best.

Either way you slice it, Kittle is one or two in the eyes of most following and reporting on the NFL. PFF is going against the grain with their ranking Kittle No. 1 ahead of Kelce.

Even if Kelce still reigns supreme in the eyes of many, including ESPN, Kittle is “ The People’s Tight End ,” and likely always will be.