Most people consider the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce to be the best tight end in the NFL.
It’s no wonder why, as he has been named to the Pro Bowl eight straight times and has four All-Pro first-team selections under his belt, not to mention two Super Bowl championships.
But if Kelce is the best, the San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle isn’t as far behind as some may think.
In fact, a basic statistical comparison of the two through their first six NFL seasons reveals that they have been almost identically productive.
George Kittle is on the right track pic.twitter.com/WDG7n8BvUl
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) June 1, 2023
Kelce played in just one game in his rookie season back in 2013, but since then he has been a force every season.
Kittle, on the other hand, started to show his potential right away, posting 515 yards in 15 games as a rookie in 2017, but he has been a bit injury-prone over the years.
Last season, Kittle set a career-high with 11 touchdowns and also collected 765 yards despite missing the first two games of the schedule with a groin injury.
While Kelce has long been a top option, if not the first option for the Chiefs, Kittle has had to share the offensive burden with other studs such as Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk over the last few years.
As a result, he hasn’t gone over 1,000 yards since the 2019 season.
This fall and winter, Kittle will have another shot at his first Vince Lombardi Trophy, especially once his team sorts out its starting quarterback situation, and getting one would certainly further close the gap between himself and Kelce.
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