Congrats are in order once again for San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle. On Friday, the former fifth-round pick was named to the Associated Press 2018 NFL All-Pro second team. The All-Pro selections are voted by a national panel of 50 media members. Travis Kelce was named to the first team.
Kittle becomes the first member of the 49ers to be named to an All-Pro team since linebacker NaVorro Bowman was named to the first team in 2015.
Kittle posted a franchise record 88 receptions and broke the NFL single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end with 1,377 yards on the season to go along with his five touchdowns.
Only seven other players totaled more receiving yards than Kittle, and they are all wide receivers. Per Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, Kittle had the second-best yards per route run figure in all of football, trailing only Julio Jones. He also led the entire league with 873 yards after the catch. That figure is nearly 300 yards more than any other NFL tight end.
What makes Kittle's second-team selection so significant is that the second-year tight end was selected over Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz, who is coming off of a record-breaking season of his own. Ertz set a single-season NFL record for tight ends with 116 receptions. He also added 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns, all career-highs.
Kittle's stellar sophomore campaign came despite catching passes from three different quarterbacks. The tight end continued to produce regardless of who was under center. Kittle's promising trajectory has cemented him as a cornerstone in San Francisco's young and developing offense.
