George Kittle had a huge day vs. Broncos, and he’s not going anywhere

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle came just short of breaking the NFL record for receiving yards by a tight end in a single game on Sunday. Kittle had seven receptions for 210 yards and a touchdown, falling 4 yards short of the record, which is held by Shannon Sharpe, who had 214 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 2002.

The Broncos adjusted to Kittle’s play in the second half, holding him without a catch in the third quarter, double- and triple-teaming him on defense. The 49ers eventually went into victory formation to clinch their victory, and Kittle didn’t get the 5 yards he needed to break the record, which prompted Kyle Shanahan to apologize to him.

That wasn’t the only record Kittle was involved with on Sunday. Kittle broke the 49ers’ franchise record for receiving yards in a season by a tight end. That record was previously held by Vernon Davis with 965 yards, while Kittle is now over 1,000 yards on the season. He also broke the franchise single-game receiving yards record for a tight end.

He’s also been extremely consistent this season, and those are just a few more reasons why you can consider him the NFL’s next great tight end.

On top of that, he had an 85-yard touchdown on Sunday.

Kittle is built straight out of the Rob Gronkowski mold, at 6’4 and 250 pounds, so he’s just a bit smaller. But he plays a lot like him, running crisp routes and using his entire body to eclipse defenders. You cannot cover him with a linebacker, at least not consistently.

Though Kittle nearly broke a huge record, it’s important to know that he’s not just a flash in the pan.

Going into Sunday’s game against the Broncos, he had 62 receptions for 893 yards and three touchdowns, having caught passes from three different quarterbacks this season (Jimmy Garoppolo, C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullens). As a rookie in 2017, he caught 43 of 63 passes for 515 yards and a pair of touchdowns, though he wasn’t the starter.

He’s a dynamic playmaker, with three receptions of 70-plus yards this season, two of which eclipsed 80 yards and went for touchdowns. No other tight end in the league has an 80-yard reception in 2018, and he’s the only player overall with multiple 80-yard receptions this season as well.

Before he was drafted, he was considered an eager and capable blocker with great hands and athleticism. He was seen as a high-ceiling player but not a guarantee by any means. But after watching him for 28 career games, it’s obvious he’s here to stay, and that the 49ers got a pretty dang good deal when they spent a fifth-round pick on him a year ago.