49ers TE George Kittle lands at No. 9 on PFF’s 50 best players ranking

Pro Football Focus finished counting down its list of the 50 best players in the NFL right now and has revealed Nos. 1 through 10. Tight end George Kittle comes in at No. 9 within the ranking and is the fourth and final San Francisco 49ers player revealed on the list.

On Thursday, linebacker Fred Warner was revealed at No. 20. On Wednesday, offensive tackle Trent Williams was revealed at No. 24 and defensive end Nick Bosa at No. 27.

RELATED PFF lists 'best all-around tight end' George Kittle as 49ers' best value draft pick since 2006

The ranking is a projection of the top players for the upcoming season and not simply based on past performance. Also, no single position is viewed as more valuable than another in deciding the ranking order. That means a safety is on equal footing with a quarterback.

Kittle, 27, only appeared in eight games last season but still managed to haul in 48 passes for 634 yards with two trips into the end zone. He recorded over 1,000 yards receiving in each of his previous two seasons, including a 1,377-receiving-yard campaign in 2018.

"Injuries limited Kittle to just 443 snaps in 2020," wrote Sam Monson, "but he posted the highest single-season PFF grade we have ever seen from a tight end (94.4 overall) the season before that.

"PFF has captured the entirety of Rob Gronkowski's Hall of Fame career, but Kittle bettered every single season of Gronk's storied career on a play-by-play basis last year, according to that grading. He is one of the most dynamic receivers in the game, but like Gronk, he can also be an impact player as a run-blocker, which differentiates him from most tight ends in the league."

Kittle is the second tight end on the list. Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs is listed as the third-best player in the NFL.

Kittle, Kelce, and former NFL tight end Greg Olsen wrapped up Tight End University this week, a gathering of tight ends across the league to share experiences and techniques.