The Cleveland Browns have turned over a new leaf this offseason. Naming Todd Monken as the head coach was the start, and the ripple effects have carried over to the roster.
The Browns decided to let tight end David Njoku walk in free agency, in large part due to their faith in second-year tight end Harold Fannin Jr. He stood out as one of the best rookies from the 2025 rookie class, and he's expected to play a major role this season.
With the hype around Fannin Jr. through the roof in Cleveland, he also has a big supporter in San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle. During an appearance on the Pat McAfee show, Kittle was asked who would be the next superstar at the position, and he went out of his way to heap praise on Fannin Jr.
"He’s a very talented player. Moves fast, has a good sense of space, can win on man-to-man, catches everything, and gives great effort in the run game. I’m excited about him.”
And considering that Kittle is one of the most talented tight ends of his era, that's just another example of the potential that the 21-year-old has.
George Kittle gives Harold Fannin Jr. some big compliments
Kittle is a five-time All-Pro (two-time First-team and three-time Second-team All-Pro) in his NFL career. He has made a living tormenting teams, and the fact that Kittle sees how good Fannin Jr. can be is impressive.
In his rookie season, Fannin Jr. led the team in targets (107), receptions (72), receiving yards (731), and receiving touchdowns (6). Although it was his first campaign, the moment didn't seem too big for him. And that's an encouraging sign.
Players can see a massive jump from their first year to second, as they are more comfortable with the speed and physicality of the game. That could be the case for Fannin Jr., which would be trouble for the rest of the NFL. He was eighth among all tight ends in receiving yards.
With him being in a system run by Monken, who does a great job getting the tight end involved, the ceiling is sky high. Add in that the Browns drafted KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston to join the receiving core that has the likes of Jerry Jeudy and breakout candidate Isaiah Bond in the mix, Fannin Jr. will see more space in the passing game.
That will set him up well to have another impactful and productive season. The Browns have a lot of young talent on the team, and the Bowling Green product is one of the best ones. Cleveland knows it, and so does Kittle, who went out of his way to heap praise on the second-year player.
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