How were 8 tight ends drafted before George Kittle in 2017?

George Kittle was drafted in the fifth round out of Iowa by the 49ers in 2017. He was the ninth tight end selected.

David Njoku (1, 29)

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David Njoku came to the Cleveland Browns from Miami (FL). The 6-foot-4, 246-pounder played in four games in 2019 due to injury and had five catches for 41 yards. He had 88 total grabs for better than 1,000 yards over his first two seasons.