Josh Norris argued that George Kittle should go at least two rounds earlier than his current 5.01 ADP. While Brock Bowers and Trey McBride are being drafted in Round 2, Kittle—who has already posted three separate seasons as a top-3 tight end—is sitting three full rounds later. Norris noted that whenever one of the 49ers’ core skill players misses time, the remaining trio tends to "go nuclear," giving Kittle weekly 25-point spike-week potential. With San Francisco’s defense possibly regressing on paper and Kyle Shanahan’s offense still projected to rank top-5 in scoring, Norris believes Kittle can realistically finish as the overall TE1 or TE2. That sort of ceiling, coupled with the large draft-capital gap versus Bowers/McBride, makes Kittle one of the best value picks in Best Ball drafts right now.

Kerrane cannot understand why drafters keep pricing George Kittle in the early fifth round. He reminded listeners that the same discount existed last year when skeptics doubted 49ers pass volume—then San Francisco threw more and Kittle delivered multiple 25-point weeks. Now the offense may have to pass even more with reports ranking the 49ers defense near the bottom of the league and injuries thinning the receiving corps (Deebo departure rumors, Brandon Aiyuk ACL, Ricky Pearsall camp injury). Kerrane expects Brock Purdy to lean heavily on his All-Pro tight end again, making Kittle’s combination of big-play ability and red-zone usage an easy smash at pick 50-55 on both Underdog and DraftKings.

Greg Brainos said he is smashing George Kittle at his mid-fifth-round Best Ball Mania ADP because the veteran still owns overall TE1 upside. Brainos pointed out that San Francisco just shipped out Deebo Samuel and could open the season with Brandon Aiyuk nursing an injury, leaving Kittle as Brock Purdy’s most established target. Purdy led the league in play-action EPA per attempt last year and consistently hit Kittle on 20-plus-yard seam routes, a connection Brainos expects to grow in year two together. He added that Kyle Shanahan’s scheme forces linebackers to honor Christian McCaffrey on outside-zone looks, creating wide-open middle-of-the-field windows for Kittle, whose career 2.27 yards per route run still ranks second among active tight ends. Because Brainos believes only Kittle, Trey McBride and Brock Bowers offer true difference-making ceilings after Travis Kelce, drafting Kittle lets drafters stick to a 2-TE build and dedicate late picks to other positions without sacrificing weekly upside.

Bloom advised bypassing Trey McBride and rookie Brock Bowers at their inflated ADPs because drafters can land George Kittle three rounds later. In best-ball, rostering multiple tight ends mitigates Kittle’s weekly injury risk while capturing his unrivaled spike-week upside (five finishes of TE3 or better in 2023). Bloom stressed that opportunity cost matters more than positional scarcity: paying up early for McBride/Bowers costs access to the thinning running-back tier, whereas Kittle’s later tag preserves roster flexibility without sacrificing ceiling.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound said George Kittle is a ‘really good click right now’ because he’s one of the few tight ends capable of dropping a 30-point week. The play becomes even stronger if you’re fading Brandon Aiyuk or waiting on injury news for the 49ers’ receiver room—any missed time by Aiyuk or Jauan Jennings funnels targets to Kittle. Pat reminded viewers that Kittle’s 2.31 yards per route run last season trailed only Travis Kelce among tight ends and that he ranked top-3 in tight-end red-zone target share despite missing a game. Given those spike-week traits, Pat is comfortable selecting him a round ahead of ADP when building San Francisco stacks or chasing early elite TE production.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound said George Kittle is an auto-click if he is still on the board around pick 55. In this draft Kittle slid past both Jaylen Waddle and George Pickens—something Pat noted rarely happens in sharp Best Ball Mania rooms where elite tight ends normally dry up in the early-40s. He framed the fall as pure closing-line value: you lock in a proven weekly difference-maker at a point in the draft where the remaining wide-outs are WR3 types. Pat stressed that grabbing Kittle here lets you bank onesie ceiling while the rest of the room continues to chase receivers, smoothing roster construction and freeing you to pound other positions later.

Billy Jones flagged George Kittle as the tight end most likely to jump a tier because he occupies a lonely ‘dead zone’ in current drafts—there’s a steep talent drop after the elite three, then nothing until late. With stacking partners Brock Purdy and Brandon Aiyuk already affordable and the Atlanta matchup in Week 17 drawing game-stack attention, Jones anticipates drafters moving Kittle up multiple spots to avoid the flat tier behind him. He suggests grabbing Kittle at cost now, before schedule-obsessed drafters finish their re-alignment and push him into the early-6th round.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound argued that George Kittle is being undervalued at pick 54, labeling him a tight end who can straight-up outscore the wide receivers in that range. Pat pointed out the positional "no-man’s land" after Travis Kelce and Sam LaPorta: drafters have to wait nearly 30 picks before another tight end with weekly 25-point upside appears. Kittle’s 2.42 yards per route was second only to Kelce last season, and with Brandon Aiyuk a potential PUP start and Deebo Samuel’s 26 % target share vacated by his trade request, Pat expects Kittle’s targets to jump from 5.6 to roughly 7 per game. Because he routinely posts 30-plus yard gains (nine receptions of 30 or more yards in 2023, best among TEs), Pat likes snapping him up in the late fourth to capitalize on a scarce ceiling while still building a robust receiver room afterward.

Andy Holloway said George Kittle is set up to dominate early in 2025. Kittle just secured a four-year, $76 million extension and will open the season as Brock Purdy’s unquestioned security blanket while Brandon Aiyuk rehabs and first-round rookie Ricky Pearsall learns the system. Holloway expects a spike in target share over the first six to eight weeks and noted that when Kittle’s route participation tops 80 %, he averages 17.4 PPR points per game. With San Francisco likely leaning on the veteran as the chain-mover in an otherwise timing-based attack, Holloway views him as a top-three redraft tight end, a weekly DFS core play in September, and the kind of win-now dynasty piece worth flipping a rookie like Colston Loveland for if you’re chasing a title.

Mike Renner said fantasy gamers should not downgrade George Kittle after the record-setting extension. Renner argued Kittle is still only 31 and tight ends historically hold elite production into their mid-30s—citing Travis Kelce, Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez as comps. He added that Kyle Shanahan’s system funnels high-leverage play-action targets to the tight end and the offense’s efficiency craters whenever Kittle misses time. With Kittle ranking top-five among all tight ends in yards per route (1.95) last season and the 49ers reaffirming his role by making him the highest-paid TE ever, Renner expects Kittle to remain a set-and-forget TE1 in season-long leagues and a strong DFS option whenever his price dips.

Jonathan Jones believes George Kittle will ultimately remain a 49er but cautioned that the veteran could mimic past San Francisco stars by letting negotiations linger deep into camp. Kittle, now 30, has watched four tight ends reset the market since his 2020 extension and is seeking to leapfrog Travis Kelce’s $14.3 million AAV. The front office chose not to pre‑empt Trey McBride’s record deal, and Jones noted the organization’s history—Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa both inked late‑August contracts—as evidence that talks could drag. While Jones does not foresee a trade, he sees "real hold‑in" potential that could keep Kittle out of mandatory minicamp. Season‑long drafters should bake a small training‑camp absence into their risk profile.