This summer, the San Francisco 49ers are thinking about bringing in a possible tight end to replace George Kittle. Kittle, a four-time All-Pro tight end, will turn 31 in the upcoming offseason, although he has not yet announced his retirement plans. For an NFL tight end, that is quite ancient.
George Kittle is still a talented football player.
Kittle continues to play in the NFL at a very high level. He received his fifth Pro Bowl selection and was named an All-Pro for the 2023 season, marking his fourth such distinction in his career. For the third time in his league career, Kittle had a receiving year of 1,000 yards or more, with 1,020 yards in 2023.
Although Kittle is still going strong, the 49ers need to get ready for the year that he stops producing or decides to put up his cleats.
The 49ers of San Francisco are considering Ja’Tavion Sanders.
The 49ers are considering two possibilities from this year’s draft to take Kittle’s spot, according to Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda. Ja’Tavion Sanders, a tight end in Texas, is the 49ers’ target.
“Ja’Tavion Sanders, a Texas underclassman, is a fantastic talent who might advance to the later stages of Round 1.
Though he plays significantly faster, Sanders timed the 40 in little under 4.7 seconds on Friday at the Combine. Considering that Sanders conducted official interviews with all 32 teams at the Shrine Bowl, he currently has 20 interviews at the Combine.
With Travis Kelce likely to play for one more season, Sanders would provide the Chiefs’ and Niners’ insurance. Many draft experts rank Sanders as the second-best tight end available this year for the 2024 rookie class. The top pick is anticipated to be Brock Bowers of Georgia, who is a star pick in the top ten.
I could have easily substituted Brock Purdy for Caleb Williams in Sanders’ response when I asked him at the NFL Combine about playing for the Bears the following season. In the NFL, Sanders believes his physical attributes as a tight end might make him a team’s top target.
Erick All of this is of interest to the 49ers.
According to Pauline, the 49ers scout tight ends all the way up to the top of the class. The 49ers are also taking notice of Iowa tight end Erick All:
“Stiff end” Erick While he is still recovering from a ruptured ACL he sustained in October, all of Iowa did not work out at the Combine. Despite this, teams showed their support for him anyway. Some clubs continue to think All might be chosen somewhere in Round 3 of the draft as the fourth tight end chosen.
All, who is around 6-foot-4, 252 pounds, and has an estimated time of 4.65 seconds for a run, has an amazing tape, but in the past two years. He played in just three games at Michigan the year before sustaining an injury that kept him out of action, and in seven games the previous season before going down with a knee injury.
Most pre-draft boards had All projected as a Day 3 pick coming into the NFL Combine. Pauline reports that a few clubs in need of a pass catcher this draft cycle, including the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs, are keeping an eye on All.
Kittle is still under contract with the 49ers through the 2025 campaign. When his contract ends, they might not have enough cap room to keep him in San Francisco. It is evident that the group understands the necessity of having a succession plan for a role that is essential to the offence of head coach Kyle Shanahan.
