George Kittle is quickly ascending the ranks of the NFL’s best tight ends. His record-setting 2018 campaign didn’t do anything to dampen his gregarious personality. He was mic’d up for one of the 49ers’ first practices of the year and produced a hilarious bit of video.
The 49ers’ Twitter account posted the video Wednesday:
We can hear you, @gkittle46
Full Mic’d Up presented by @Cisco
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) May 23, 2019
There are a few observations worth noting:
— Kittle’s close relationship with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is pretty obvious. The two hung out over the offseason, and Kittle isn’t shy about messing with the signal caller in the video. That off-field rapport will only benefit them between the lines.
— Ross Dwelley gets a big shoutout from Kittle following a nicely-run route. It’s still extremely early, but Dwelley is one of the players contending for the backup tight end spot with rookie Kaden Smith, and incumbent No. 2 TE Garrett Celek. Celek is out for OTAs with a concussion and a back injury, so any positive steps Dwelley takes in Spring practices are vital.
— Team culture has been a significant driving factor behind the roster construction under head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. The interaction at the end of the video between Kittle and veteran cornerback Richard Sherman is a fun example of how a strong culture can shine through in practice. Kittle runs past Sherman on his way to the end zone, then pretends to ask Sherman for an autograph before saying “I love you. Leave me alone” as he runs away. It’s a minor interaction, but fun to see players of vastly different seniority, on different sides of the ball having fun with each other at practice.
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