The 49ers selected Kittle in the fifth round (No. 146 overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft, and he went on to catch 43 passes for 515 yards and two touchdowns during his rookie season. His sophomore campaign in 2018 was his breakout, when he hauled in 88 receptions for 1,377 yards and five touchdowns.

In that debut, he was forced to meet face-to-face with Hall of Fame pass-rusher Julius Peppers.Here's what Kittle had to say about the encounter so early in his career."First game of my career, I had one-on-one pass-pro,

At 6-foot-7 and 295 pounds and at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, Carolina Panthers legends Julius Peppers and Cam Newton were two absolute freaks of nature on the football field. So just imagine the shock of having to face them both—and in your NFL debut,

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is currently in his eighth NFL season, having played in two Super Bowls and been named to the All-Pro team