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49ers have 4 players attending Tight End University this week
The San Francisco 49ers have wrapped up their organized team activities and minicamps, and they still have a few weeks to go before their training camp opens at the SAP Performance Facility with rookies reporting July 15 and veterans coming for July 22.
While plenty of players are taking this time to rest and relax, 49ers tight end George Kittle is hosting his fifth annual Tight End University camp alongside three-time Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce and three-time Pro Bowler-turned-commentator Greg Olsen.
The camp is a three-day event that incorporates film study and on-field drills to help tight ends become the best version of themselves when they're representing their team and the position across the league.
Interestingly, Kittle isn't the only 49ers tight end attending this year, as he's joined by Luke Farrell, Brayden Willis and Mason Pline in Nashville, Tennessee.
Farrell, 27, was a fifth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2021 NFL draft following a collegiate career at Ohio State. In his four seasons with the Jaguars, he caught 29 passes for 282 yards before landing a three-year, $15.75 million deal with San Francisco this year to be the team's No. 2.
Willis, 25, was the 49ers' seventh-round pick in 2023 out of Oklahoma, where he earned second-team All-Big 12 honors once. Over the last two years, Willis has appeared in 17 games, but his contributions have come mainly on special teams, as he's played just 73 offensive snaps. This year, he's looking to carve out a role for himself in Kyle Shanahan's system.
Pline, 25, spent his college years at Ferris State and Furman from 2021-23 before San Francisco signed him as an undrafted free agent last offseason. He spent his entire rookie year on the practice squad and landed a futures/reserve contract in January. This year, he's hoping to earn a spot on the 53-man roster out of camp.
In total, there are 74 tight ends attending Kittle's three-day camp, so Farrell, Willis and Pline could learn a lot from their peers to help them achieve their goals in 2025 and beyond.
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