NFL Exec: 49ers' George Kittle Is 'More Explosive' Than Travis Kelce 'At This Point'

In the ongoing debate about who the best tight end in the NFL is between Travis Kelce and George Kittle, at least one personnel executive in the league thinks the San Francisco 49ers star might have a leg up going into 2024.

In a poll of scouts, coaches and executives of the top tight ends, one NFL personnel executive told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that Kittle is "more explosive [than Kelce] at this point" in their careers.

There were plenty of questions throughout the 2023 season about whether or not Kelce, who will turn 35 on Oct. 5, had lost a step. He averaged a career-low 10.6 yards per reception, had his fewest touchdown catches since 2016 (five) and failed to hit the 1,000-yard mark for the first time since 2015.

Kelce did suffer a knee injury before Week 1 that kept him out for the season opener. He was also on the injury report going into Week 6 due to an ankle injury but was able to play against the Denver Broncos.

One encouraging sign for Kelce going into 2024 is that he looked to be close to his normal self in the postseason. He had 355 yards in four playoff games and caught 20 of 21 targets between the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl.

Kittle had one of the best seasons of his career in 2023. He set a career-high with 15.7 yards per reception. No other tight end in the NFL averaged 13.0 yards per catch.

Kittle isn't going to be the same high-volume receiving option because the 49ers have so many players to utilize, but he will make any opposing defense pay when the ball comes to him.