2NJ2M7P SANTA CLARA, CA – OCTOBER 23: San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) greets Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) before the NFL professional football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers on October 23, 2022 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. (Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

• The inevitable Travis Kelce: Kelce’s dominance over the past decade is so unprecedented that if you include wide receivers, he ranks fourth in yards, fifth in touchdowns and first in yards after the catch by over 700 yards.

• The incredible rise of George Kittle: Kittle is the premier blocker at the position today, while his ascent as a receiver is one of the great player development stories of the past decade.

• Dig into the numbers for yourself: PFF’s Premium Stats is the most in-depth collection of NFL and NCAA player performance data. Subscribe today to get full access!

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For the second time in five seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will square off in the Super Bowl with two all-time great tight ends at their disposal.

Roster turnover is perpetual in today’s NFL, but Travis Kelce and George Kittle have been constants during their teams’ dominant runs over the past half-decade. Both players represent the nightmare mismatch an elite tight end can be in the receiving game while also embodying their team’s culture in a way that lifts their respective franchises. Kelce and Kittle are both one-of-a-kind talents, albeit in slightly different ways.

Kelce, a former third-round pick out of Cincinnati, is squarely in the conversation as the best tight end ever due to his incredible receiving prowess. His ability to line up anywhere on the field and win has redefined what is possible at the position.

Historians can argue for prior contemporaries, but since PFF has existed, nobody has been better than Kelce.

Receiving grade
94.4 (1st)

Receiving yards
13,139 (1st)

Receiving touchdowns
94 (T-2nd)

Receptions
1,063 (2nd)

As far as counting stats are concerned, Rob Gronkowski and Jason Witten are the only tight ends in the same stratosphere as Kelce since 2006. The Chiefs star also paces the position in yards after catch, yards after contact, first downs and explosive receptions of 15-plus yards by a wide margin.

Kelce’s dominance over the past decade is so unprecedented that if you include wide receivers, he still ranks fourth in yards, fifth in touchdowns and first in yards after the catch by over 700 yards. Simply put, he’s one of the best pass-catchers, regardless of position, in the PFF era.

Best career receiving grades in PFF history

Player
PFF grade

Christian McCaffrey
96.2

Antonio Brown
94.8

Julio Jones
94.5

Travis Kelce
94.4

Tyreek Hill

Based on production alone, all of the above players should be first-ballot Hall of Famers. McCaffrey’s absurd dominance aside, Kelce’s production stacks up with the greatest receivers of this generation.

This isn’t simply a product of Patrick Mahomes being his quarterback, either. During his four seasons with Alex Smith as his quarterback, Kelce earned a 90.8 receiving grade that ranked third in the NFL behind Rob Gronkowski and Greg Olsen.

Perhaps most impressive is Kelce’s ability to succeed no matter where he is lined up on the field.

Travis Kelce: Career receiving grades by alignment

Alignment
PFF grade

In-line
99.9

Slot
96.3

Wide
91.2

He is a matchup nightmare, no matter where he is lined up. He’s basically broken the scale when lined up as an in-line tight end. He’s comparable to CeeDee Lamb in the slot and Keenan Allen when lined up wide.

Others like Tony Gonzalez and Rob Gronkowski certainly had a special ability to succeed in different positions, but Kelce has redefined what is possible when it comes to the ceiling of tight end receiving production.
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As for his opponent, George Kittle, the theme is dominance in both receiving and run-blocking. As a fifth-round pick out of Iowa with just 48 career catches to his name at the college level, Kittle was drafted for his physical presence and blocking ability.

Kittle is the premier blocker at the position today, while his ascent as a receiver is one of the great player development stories of the past decade. The combination of those skill sets has quickly put Kittle in elite company.

Top career overall grades by tight ends in PFF history

Player
PFF grade

Travis Kelce
93.9

Rob Gronkowski
93.9

George Kittle
93.2

Tony Gonzalez
91.8

Mark Andrews
91.5

Kittle owns the third-best overall grade and third-best receiving grade by a tight end in PFF history. His career 83.2 run-blocking grade is also the best at the position over the last decade.

He has been the perfect player for Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Since 2017, he trails only Kelce in overall and receiving grades. However, there has always been a greater emphasis on the run game in San Francisco, leading to a lower volume of targets for Kelce compared to Kittle.

A deeper examination of the metrics shows that they may be closer to equal as receivers than we think.

George Kittle vs. Travis Kelce: Since 2017

Metric
Kittle
Kelce

Receiving grade
93.3
94.3

Yards per reception
13.7
12.3

Yards per route run
2.26
2.19

YAC per reception
7.3
5.3

MTF per reception
0.19
0.15

It’s reasonable to think that Kittle would produce similar results to Kelce if he saw a similar volume as a receiver. He is, in some ways, more efficient than Kelce. He creates yards after the catch and breaks tackles at a better rate than any tight end in the NFL. He brings the same physical nature in the passing game as he does when run-blocking.

Kittle has shown off his versatility, as well. Since 2017, he has earned a 91.9 slot receiving grade that trails only Kelce and Mark Andrews, who are targeted far more often.

Kittle’s dual-threat ability has allowed him to lead NFL tight ends in receiving grade three times, currently tied with Kelce for second-most all-time. He leads the NFL this year in run-blocking grade for the first time in his career.

Kelce leads Kittle this season in receiving grade, but Kittle’s exploits as a blocker give him more than a 6.5-point lead in overall grade heading into the Super Bowl. As it stands, that margin is currently the fourth-widest in overall grade between the top two tight ends in a given season since 2006.

Travis Kelce and George Kittle produce in vastly different ways, but there is no denying that they are two of the best tight ends ever to play in the NFL. They’ll both be incredibly crucial to their teams’ success in their Super Bowl rematch this Sunday.