Okay, let’s talk about looking at these two tight ends, Kittle and LaPorta. It wasn’t some big spreadsheet thing, just me watching games and trying to figure stuff out.
My Process: Watching and Thinking
So, I started by just focusing on Kittle for a few games. Been watching him for years, obviously. What I did was just pay attention only to him when the 49ers offense was on the field. It’s kinda wild. You see him absolutely bury a defender on a run play. Like, completely take a guy out. Then next play, he’s running a route down the seam.
I jotted down some thoughts:
- Blocks like an extra lineman sometimes. Super physical.
- When he catches it, he runs angry. Breaks tackles.
- Gets those big splash plays, long touchdowns.
- But sometimes, he’s not the main target. They got Aiyuk, Deebo, CMC… lots of mouths to feed. So his targets can be up and down.
Then, I switched gears and did the same thing for LaPorta with the Lions. This was interesting because he was a rookie, right? You expect rookies to take time. But watching him, it felt different.
My notes on LaPorta looked more like this:
- Seems like Goff looks for him a lot, especially early in the season.
- Runs smooth routes, finds the open spots.
- Catches the ball reliably. Not dropping much.
- Maybe not the same level of pure blocking violence as Kittle yet, but he holds his own.
- Used all over the place, seemed like a key part of their passing attack right away.
Putting it Together
After watching them both like that, just focusing on them, I kinda laid out my thoughts. Kittle felt like this awesome, versatile weapon. A true game-changer with his blocking and his ability to make huge plays after the catch. But maybe not always the guy getting 10 targets a game because of the offense he’s in and his blocking duties.
LaPorta, especially in his first year, felt more like a pure receiving tight end who happened to be athletic. The Lions clearly made him a priority target. He was getting volume, consistent looks. Felt safer week-to-week for just pure catches and yards, you know?
So, it wasn’t really about saying one is definitively ‘better’. It was more about seeing how they were used and what they brought to the table. Kittle brings that insane blocking and big-play potential. LaPorta brought that high volume, reliable receiving presence right out of the gate. Just different flavors, both really damn good at what they do. That’s what I got from just sitting down and really watching them play.
