Ron Stewart on George Kittle
From the video
we should not expect George KD to be George KD in week one or week two or week three. That would be shocking to me. But I think he's got a chance to play... he's likely to be more of a limited player in the first handful of games back, but I think possibly like he could be one of those guys that kind of surprises us in the second half of the year... you could see 80% 90% George KD and that's better than than most tight ends if we're being honest... His career 10 yards per target is absurd. It's like among active players, it's like the highest even among the receivers.
STACKED’s take
Favorable Achilles location; limited weeks 1–3, strong second-half upside; 10 YPRR elite.
Kittle's Achilles tear location—higher up in the calf rather than at the heel attachment point—is favorable for recovery outlook; tears at the heel require bone screws and result in power loss, whereas his placement avoids this complication. The source expects limited production in weeks 1–3 but projects potential for strong second-half performance, possibly reaching 80–90% of pre-injury function by year's end, which would exceed most tight end production. Early-season pairing with a late-round backup tight end is a viable draft strategy to weather his ramp-up period. Kittle's career 10 yards per target is among the highest of active players, exceeding even elite receivers like Tyreek Hill (9.7 career yards per target). This efficiency metric will decline post-injury but remains a strong foundation for late-round tight end value; drafting Kittle in the eighth round and pairing him with a free late-round option like Jawan Johnson provides a viable path to tight end production without early-round capital.
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