One of the weaknesses on the 49ers’ roster is their depth at tight end. While George Kittle is the league’s best player at the position, the roster behind him leaves something to be desired. While their returning their backup tight end, and drafted one in the sixth round, they don’t appear to have a legitimate pass-catching threat to pair with Kittle. That answer may have come Friday when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Browns fourth-year tight end David Njoku requested a trade.
Njoku was a first-round pick out of the University of Miami in the 2017 draft. Despite just one year of big-time pass-catching production in college, his athleticism on tape jumped off the screen and his combine workouts corroborated what the tape showed. He was in the 80th percentile or better in the 40-yard dash, broad jump, vertical jump and 3-cone drill. Njoku displayed that athleticism inside a 6-4, 253-pound frame.
His athleticism alone puts him above the players San Francisco has behind Kittle. Ross Dwelley, a former undrafted free agent, is a versatile blocker, but doesn’t offer a lot as a receiver. He’s averaged just 6.2 yards per reception in his first two seasons. Sixth-round pick Charlie Woerner caught only 34 passes in four years at Georgia. Undrafted second-year player Daniel Helm hasn’t played an NFL snap yet. Njoku offers an explosive athletic element that the 49ers’ tight end group currently lacks.
He’s yet to translate that athletic talent into success in the NFL, however. He caught 88
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