George Kittle

A two-year starter at Iowa, Kittle lined up primarily inline and on the wing and was used as more of a blocker in the Hawkeye?s power pro-style scheme. Kittle moved with his family to Norman in 2010 when he father (Bruce) was hired by his former college roommate (Bob Stoops) to be an assistant coach at Oklahoma. He had limited options on signing day in 2012, but fate prevailed when Iowa (his father?s alma mater) had other offers fall through, opening up a spot for him. After redshirting in 2012, Kittle played in 24 games as a redshirt freshman and sophomore, mostly on special teams, recording a combined six catches. He worked his way into the starting line-up as a junior and posted 20 catches for 290 yards and a team-best six touchdowns. With Henry Krieger-Coble (George?s cousin) and Jake Duzey graduated, Kittle became the full-time starter as a senior, but battled injury (11 starts) and finished with 22 receptions for 314 yards and four scores, earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors. Kittle doesn?t have an imposing frame and looks like a rocked-up wide receiver, but is an impressive blocker with his stubborn, aggressive temperament to create movement. He flashed route athleticism and ballskills on film, but injuries and Iowa?s run-first offense kept him from being consistently productive as a pass-catcher. Eight tight ends have been drafted in the Kirk Ferentz coaching tenure and Kittle has a chance to be the ninth as a late round possibility.

strengths

Athletic body control with sharp footwork in/out of his breaks. Smooth acceleration and tempo to gain route leverage. Quick hands to snatch and efficiently transition from pass-catcher to ballcarrier. Blasts through arm tackles. Tenacious finisher and stays attached to defenders as a blocker. Aggressive hands to secure seal blocks, dropping his pads and driving his lower body to create movement. Productive near the goal line with three of his four touchdowns coming within the opponent?s 10-yard line. Developed his body in the weight room, adding 40+ pounds since high school. Father (Bruce) was a four-year letterman and co-captain at Iowa.

weaknesses

Lacks prototypical size dimensions for the position. Worked hard to develop his bulk, but looks tapped out. Inconsistent climbing the ladder and doesn?t play with a large catch radius. Hears footsteps and needs to consistently secure post-snap. Lacks nuance in his stem releases and needs to better set up his patterns. Late to read, make route adjustments and uncover in man coverage. Inconsistent playmaking skills after the catch. Hyperactive blocker, but needs to better use angles and stay controlled. Uninspiring production and wasn?t a featured weapon in the Iowa offense. Routinely on the injury list, including a right foot sprain that required a boot (Oct. 2016) and plagued him the rest of the 2016 season.

Earned all-state, all-district and all-conference honors as a senior

Career - - Earned two varsity letters while playing tight end, wide receiver, linebacker and defensive back

helped prep team reach state playoffs as a junior and senior

team captain as a senior

averaged 11.6 yards on 26 receptions as a senior, with five touchdowns, and also recorded five interceptions on defense

recorded 24 receptions and scored five touchdowns as a junior and had five interceptions

also earned two letters as basketball power forward.

Born 10/09/93 in Madison, Wisconsin

communications major

member of Dean’s List

parents are Jan Krieger and Bruce Kittle

his father, Bruce Kittle, is former Iowa offensive lineman (1977-79, 1981) and was co-captain of Iowa’s 1982 Rose Bowl team

high school coach was Greg Nation.

2016

receiving
REC	YPR	TD	LONG	YDS
22.0	14.3	4.0	51.0	314.0

fumbles
REC	LOST	FUM
0.0	0.0	1.0

2015

receiving
REC	YPR	TD	LONG	YDS
20.0	14.5	6.0	43.0	290.0

kickReturns
LONG	YDS	NO	TD	AVG
2.0	2.0	1.0	0.0	2.0