NFL Draft 2017: A Look at the Best Pick from Each Round
Fifth Round
George Kittle, TE, Iowa
Selected No. 146 Overall (San Francisco 49ers)
There were a couple of star players that came out of the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. There is not a larger star that came out of the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft than former Iowa tight end George Kittle, who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. Over the last couple of seasons, Kittle has emerged as one of the most talented tight ends in the league.
The 49ers drafted Kittle in the fifth round, one pick after the Denver Broncos took tight end Jake Butt. He was named the team’s starting tight end before the beginning of his rookie season despite being drafted in the fifth round. He had some nice games during his rookie year and was rumored to eventually become a featured piece of this team’s offense long-term. Kittle caught 43 of his 63 targets for 515 yards and two touchdowns.
Kittle broke out into a star during his second season in the league. He emerged as the number one pass catcher for the 49ers’ offense. Even though Jimmy Garoppolo was sidelined for most of the year because of a torn ACL, Kittle still had an outstanding season. He finished the year with 88 catches off of 136 targets for 1,377 yards and five touchdowns. That season Kittle was not only named to the Pro Bowl but he was also named Second Team All-Pro. He set the record for most receiving yards in a season by a tight end in 2018. However, the record was broken two years later by Travis Kelce.
San Francisco was loaded and finally healthy during the 2019-20 season. Kittle was a huge part of why the 49ers won the NFC Championship and came close to winning the Super Bowl that season. In 14 games, Kittle caught 85 of his 107 targets for 1,054 yards and five touchdowns. He was voted to his second straight Pro Bowl and was named First-Team All-Pro at the end of the year.
The 2020-21 season was tough for the 49ers because of a plethora of injuries. Kittle was one of the many 49ers players who missed major time because of an injury. He was limited to only eight games last season. However Kittle still managed to catch 48 of his 63 targets for 634 yards and two touchdowns. That is an extremely impressive stat line for a tight end considering he missed half of the season.
After missing some time early this past season Kittle looked like the player he has been throughout most of his career. In fourteen games he had 71 receptions on 94 targets for 910 receiving yards and a career-high six receiving touchdowns. Kittle was named to his third Pro Bowl this past season.
He had three games this past season where he had over 100 receiving yards and at least one touchdown. In week 13 against the Seattle Seahawks, Kittle had nine receptions on twelve targets for 181 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. Then he followed it up the next week against the Cincinnati Bengals with 13 receptions on 15 targets for 151 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.
In a league that is lacking a large group of star tight ends, Kittle deserves to be right at the top. There is no tight end in the league that is a dangerous receiving threat and capable number one option in the passing game that is also an outstanding run blocker like Kittle. As a complete player, Kittle is the closest thing the league has had at the position to prime Rob Gronkowski at tight end. Kittle plays a role in the 49ers’ outstanding success running the football that they have been able to have over the last five seasons. He could finish his career as one of the greatest tight ends to ever play the game and is a potential Hall of Famer if he keeps up this pace.
Another selection that deserves as much love that happened in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft was Green Bay’s selection of Aaron Jones. Even after taking running back Jamaal Williams in the round prior, the Packers decided to double down at the position and take Jones in the following round.
In a short time, Jones emerged as the team’s lead running back and showed why he deserved to be used as a true workhorse back. In his first full season as the team’s starter in 2019, Jones rushed for over 1,000 yards and had 19 total touchdowns. Then in 2020, Jones rushed for a career-high 1,104 yards despite only playing in 14 games. He was voted to his first Pro Bowl after the 2020-21 NFL season and was given a four-year $48 million extension as well. This past season Jones missed three games and finished the year with 1,190 yards from scrimmage and 10 total touchdowns.
Honorable Mentions: