PFF Record Book: Tight end signature stats

• Rob Gronkowski stands alone: He leads the position with four records here, including the single-season contested catch mark.

• Travis Kelce's 2022 campaign goes down in history: Kelce racked up 24 forced missed tackles to tie for the PFF era record.

• The after-the-catch king: 49ers tight end George Kittle is unparalleled when it comes to producing with the ball in his hands, with his 2018 season standing out above the rest.

Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

The PFF database is a vast expanse of grades and statistics encompassing nearly two decades' worth of NFL action. The goal has always been to help better understand the game of football and bridge the gap between the past and present generations.

PFF data goes as far back as 2006, which may be a small sample size of the game’s entire history, but it serves as a tremendous asset in determining which performances truly stand the test of time.

These are the official PFF records for tight end signature stats.

PFF Receiving Grade

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers (2019) – 94.3

Kittle surpassed tight end royalty in Travis Kelce (93.6, 2020), Rob Gronkowski (91.9, 2011) and Jason Witten (91.8, 2007) to secure the receiving grade record at the position. Only once in his six-year career has Kittle failed to surpass an 87.0 receiving grade, an indication that he is more than capable of sustaining this level of play deep into his NFL tenure.

Targets

Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles (2018) – 154

Receptions

Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles (2018) – 116

In the year following the Eagles' 2017 Super Bowl victory, Ertz went from being a good tight end to being mentioned among the best in the modern game. He managed to set the marks for both targets and receptions by a tight end, a record that has held strong against the efforts of elite players at the position.

As the focal point of Doug Pederson’s offense in 2018, Ertz erupted for the best receiving season of his career, becoming just the sixth tight end in the PFF era to surpass 100 receptions in a single season. This past season, Travis Kelce came close to touching these records but ultimately fell short, finishing just four targets and six receptions shy.