49ers Add 6-Foot-7 Pass Catcher to TE Room

Getty Kyle Shanahan has a 6-foot-7 tight end in Mason Pline.

As the San Francisco 49ers seek to improve the tight end room during minicamps in May and June, 6-foot-7 tight end Mason Pline will join them.

Pline played for Furman in 2023 and signed as an undrafted free agent following the NFL Draft on April 27. Niners tight end George Kittle took a minute to reach out to Pline.

“He welcomed me and said he was just making sure I didn’t need anything and if I had any questions to let him know,” Pline told the Greenville News’ Scott Keepfer. “I appreciate it. I’ve studied him for a lot of years.”

Kittle has put together a body of work in the NFL worth studying amid 460 receptions for 6,274 yards and 85 touchdowns in his career. The five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro [between first and second team] has shouldered much of the tight end responsibilities of late.

“A big point of emphasis for me to improve in is in the running and blocking game, and if there is anybody to learn from in the league, it’s him,” Pline told the Lansing State Journal’s Brian Calloway. “He’s probably the best run-blocking tight end in the NFL right now and he has been for quite a few years.”

“It’s just a really good fit for me because I’m not a finished product and I’ve got a lot to learn. Having a vet like him and a coach like coach [Kyle] Shanahan and coach [Brian] Fleury in the tight end room, I think I’ll improve at a quick rate,” Pline added.

Mason Pline Expects to Make an Impact Amid Limited TE Depth

San Francisco didn’t have any tight ends with more than three catches for 32 yards after Kittle last season. The 49ers signing former Houston Texans tight end Eric Saubert might not move the needle much amid his career numbers of 36 receptions for 292 yards and two touchdowns.

Saubert has been a journeyman in seven seasons with stints between nine different teams before the 49ers. That included numerous stretches on practice squads and only 84 games played.

Pline sees the opportunity to work his way onto the roster through the minicamps amid the 49ers’ lack of tight end depth. That’s also despite not putting up big numbers in college — 31 receptions for 282 yards and four touchdowns in 2023.

“I have high expectations for myself,” Pline told Calloway. “I see no reason why I can’t be on that active roster and be an impact player right away.”

“I’ve come a long way in the last eight or nine months of playing football and I see no reason why that progress is going to slow down,” Pline added. “If anything, I think it is going to speed up being around high-caliber guys.”

Mason Pline Played College Basketball, a Positive NFL Tight End Trend

Future Ferris State Bulldog Mason Pline of Fowler a man among boys at the Class D level.

A Fowler, Michigan, native, Pline first played basketball and football at Ferris State from 2019 to 2022 before he transferred to Furman. He helped the Bulldogs football team win two national titles.

As a basketball player, Pline averaged 6.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in three seasons with the Bulldogs. Basketball skill translating to tight end success in the NFL has occurred before with previous greats such as Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez.

In addition, Pline joins a “tight end-friendly offense” as he told Keepfer. Pline sees how he can fit in with a 49ers offense that will “use the tight end in a lot of different ways,” he explained.

“I’m big-bodied yet athletic enough to be a downfield target in the receiving game and I’ll continue to improve my blocking,” Pline said. “Being an all-around tight end will be a big thing.”