Rookie Report Card: George Kittle and Marlon Mack

Dan Meylor

Each week throughout the season, I’ll cover at least two rookies in the Rookie Report Card and try to always include the biggest performers from that particular week. On top of reviewing my expectations for each player coming into the league and covering how he’s performed at the NFL level to this point, I’ll actually give him a grade in three categories. Those categories are performance to date, 2017 potential and long term upside.

The series continues with a look at George Kittle and Marlon Mack.

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George Kittle, TE SF
Week Five Stats: seven receptions, 83 receiving yards, one touchdown (nine targets)

Having watched Kittle regularly over his last few seasons while at Iowa, I didn’t become a fan of his until early in his senior year with the Hawkeyes when he caught five passes for 110 yards in a loss against North Dakota State. On that day he regularly stretched the middle of the field which is something I never really saw him do consistently.

In the weeks following that game against the Bison, I continued to watch for the senior tight end. While he was asked to go downfield from time to time (as he did the very next week against Rutgers,) the Hawkeye coaching staff seemed content to keep Kittle close to the line of scrimmage. Running mostly crosses, quick come backers and out routes, he was known mostly as a short to intermediate route runner and red zone target in play action while in Iowa City.

No matter the role he played in the passing game at Iowa, Kittle looked like a quality prospect on film. Displaying a knack for using his big frame (6’-4”, 246 pounds) to shield defenders from the ball and good hands to catch everything thrown his way, even if the throw is slightly off target or into tight coverage, Kittle showed he had potential as a pass catcher. Also a strong blocker, he appeared to be a three-down tight end prospect.

Despite his ho-hum numbers as a senior (22 receptions, 314 yards, four touchdowns) which were limited partly due to injury, Kittle was a guy I was interested in during draft season – primarily due to that two week stretch during his senior year. When he ran the third fastest 40-yard dash (4.52) of the tight ends at the combine behind only Evan Engram and O.J. Howard, I became even more interested in his potential as a seam stretcher.

I was actually surprised Kittle wasn’t taken earlier in the NFL Draft. Selected early in the fifth round, he was the ninth tight end taken in the draft but ended up in a good landing spot with head coach Kyle Shanahan and on a team with limited pass catching talent. That landing spot got even better when the 49ers dealt Vance McDonald to Pittsburgh, making Kittle the starter at tight end.

Kittle caught just 10 passes for 83 yards and was held out of the end zone over his first four NFL games but broke out in a big way against the Colts in week five, catching seven passes for 83 yards and the game tying touchdown.

Although his biggest play of the game came early in the 49ers’ final drive, when he ran a flag route against the Colts’ zone defense for a 27-yard gain and his most impactful play came a few minutes later on a five-yard slant that went for a touchdown out of a stack in the slot, his most impressive play came on fourth-and-one on that same drive. Lined up to the right in a three-tight end set, Kittle got a clean release off the line of scrimmage, sped to the space between the cornerback and the safety and skied to make the catch at the high point and keep the drive alive.

It was impressive coming out party for the rookie tight end, no doubt. He proved he can press safeties as a vertical threat, made contested catches and was called upon regularly in clutch situations. (He caught 5 balls for 73 yards and a touchdown on the 49ers’ final drive of regulation.)

Although it’s probably premature to start depending on him in a starting lineup, dynasty owners should be optimistic about Kittle going forward. Worthy of being considered in the same light as fellow rookie tight ends Gerald Everett, Jonnu Smith and Adam Shaheen, he’s a quality developmental tight end with the upside to someday put up regular TE1 numbers for fantasy owners.

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Marlon Mack, RB IND
Week Five Stats: 9 carries, 91 rushing yards (10.1 YPC), one touchdown, one reception, two receiving yards

Mack was known as a flashy playmaker coming out of USF. Quick through a hole and even quicker to change directions, he piled up 3,609 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns on the ground for the Bulls while also making 65 catches for 498 yards and a score as a pass catcher.

The first time I saw Mack play was on tape in the months leading up to the NFL draft and he looked like he belonged in the SEC, not the AAC. With an impressive burst, he shoots through holes with assertion and appears to get to the edge with ease. Although he has great speed and acceleration he also runs with above average power, always running behind his pads and lowering his shoulder to bounce off of contact.

At the second level, Mack was one of the most impressive tailbacks in the 2017 draft. His quickness and elusiveness appeared elite at times as he showed the ability make multiple moves, shaking linebackers with shoulder fakes and jukes and quickly accelerating before spinning out of a tackle by a safety.

After being selected by the Colts in the fourth round of the NFL draft, many thought Mack was in a position to make an impact for dynasty owners in the long term – with veteran Frank Gore the only playmaker on the roster at the position. Because of his rare ability to make multiple tacklers miss with consecutive moves while still having enough acceleration to pull away from the pursuing defense – which is the complete opposite of Gore’s strengths at this point in his career – I saw Mack as a quality short term investment as well. Needless to say, I was ecstatic when Mack settled in as a second-round target in rookie drafts.

After Mack had a relatively uneventful preseason (12/63/0 rushing, 3/31/0 receiving) and ran for just 21 yards on 16 carries (1.3 YPC) and a touchdown in weeks one and two, he missed the next two games with a shoulder injury. It was a slow start to the rookie’s season.

That didn’t continue in week five.

Mack had multiple eye-popping runs as he carried nine times for 91 yards and a touchdown in week five. His 22-yard touchdown run in the third quarter featured a sharp cutback in the backfield when defensive lineman Arik Armstead busted through a block into the running lane, a quality stiff-arm to keep the safety coming down in run support from making a play, and that sensational burst to pull away from everybody on the way to pay dirt.

In the short-term, Mack should have at least earned a timeshare with Gore going forward as he’s so much more explosive than the veteran at this point in his career. Although the Colts don’t appear to be good enough to compete week in and week out which could affect his touches, Mack should be in line to handle the ball 10-plus times per game and as he showed in week five, that could translate to RB2 numbers.

In the long-term, Mack’s potential appears even greater. With elite quickness and impressive long speed, he can make big plays from anywhere on the field which gives him low-end RB1 upside if he ever has a backfield to himself. He’s an excellent trade target for dynasty owners looking for high upside youth at running back but his price tag is only one big game or a Gore injury away from skyrocketing.

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dan meylor