Hilarious photo of teen Kittle shows how far he has come originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
George Kittle cuts an imposing figure, with the 49ers listing the All-Pro tight end at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds.
That wasn’t always the case.
The Checkdown posted a split image on Kittle’s 27th birthday Friday of the tight end now compared to when he was 18, pictured with cousin Henry Krieger-Coble on one of Kittle’s visits to the University of Iowa (where he ultimately played four years of college football).
How it started for Kittle and how it’s going is a stark difference, to say the least.
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Kittle’s profile on the Hawkeyes’ website listed him as a 6-foot-4, 210-pound freshman, while the Hawkeyes’ media guide had him at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds. As the tight end has grown, so has his game.
Kittle caught 48 passes for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns in four seasons at Iowa. He had 43 receptions for 515 yards and two TDs as an NFL rookie in 2017, then set a positional record in 2018 with 136 catches, accruing 1,377 yards and five touchdowns. Kittle was an All-Pro for the first time in his career last year, and he also caught 15 passes for 183 yards and a TD in his return from a two-week absence in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles. He became the first tight end with 15 receptions and 175-plus receiving yards in a single game.
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Had you seen that photo of Kittle when it was taken in 2012, you probably wouldn’t have thought you’d be looking at a picture of someone who would become the highest-paid tight end in NFL history, but a lot can change in eight years.
Does this mean Kittle’s in line for a Joe Staley-esque body transformation after he retires? We’ll just have to wait and see.
