NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco and Laura Britt explain why George Kittle is more valuable to the 49ers than an elite wide receiver, such as Julio Jones.
The 10 best players in the NFL will be unveiled in the final segment of NFL Network's NFL Top 100 on Wednesday, and 49ers tight end George Kittle is among them.
Where exactly he falls within the top 10 (as voted on by his peers) will be revealed soon enough. As for where he should be ranked, however, I can tell you right now.
First, here's a look at the players that will comprise the top 10.
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It's hard to complain about any member of that group. In Kittle, you have the best tight end in football. In Aaron Donald, you have arguably the best defensive player in the game. Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson were all fantastic-or-better in 2020.
Stephon Gillmore is the definition of a lockdown corner. Hopkins and Michael Thomas are nearly impossible to cover 1-on-1. And though quite different in stature, Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey prove equally tough to stop when they get the ball in their hands.
However ...
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I'd argue that Kittle should be ranked ahead of most of them.
[49ERS INSIDER PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode]
He is as dangerous and reliable of a receiver as Thomas and Hopkins, but they can't come close to comparing to his value as a run-blocker. He has to be ranked ahead of both of them, though Thomas surely should be the top-ranked receiver.
Henry, though the NFL's leading rusher last season, is fairly one-dimensional. That said, that one dimension is awfully impressive. Kittle has got to be ranked ahead of him, too.
While quarterback is the most important position on the field, odds are that the three signal-callers will be sprinkled throughout the top 10, with Mahomes, Jackson and Wilson ranked in that order. Kittle should be somewhere in between.
Donald is unstoppable. If Mahomes isn't No. 1, it should be him.
As for Gillmore and McCaffrey, they're the best players at their respective positions, but neither was as dominant as Kittle was last year.
So, here are my predictions for the top 10 players in the 2020 NFL Top 100:
1. Mahomes
2. Donald
3. Jackson
4. Kittle
5. McCaffrey
6. Thomas
7. Gillmore
8. Wilson
9. Hopkins
10. Henry
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Where Kittle ends up ranking ultimately is of no consequence. Whether it's first or 10th, he's an absolute stud, and clearly, the rest of the league knows it.
