San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle has an issue with the Pro Bowl votes cast thus far, which he said had teammate Trent Williams eighth among offensive tackles.
"The fact that Trent Williams is eighth in Pro Bowl voting, I think, is absolutely insane," Kittle said Thursday, via NBC Sports Bay Area. "He's probably the most talented player in football."
Fan voting on the Pro Bowl closed Thursday. As of earlier this week, Saints left tackle Terron Armstead led all OTs in voting.
Kittle is right. Williams is the best offensive tackle in the NFL right now. The 6-foot-5, 320-pound behemoth moves grown men like they're Raggedy Andy dolls, tossing them aside and moving to the next.
Need any evidence Williams is a beast, check out offensive line analyst Brandon Thorn's Twitter feed any week after a Niners game. It's pretty much an Ode to Trent.
Word of an eye-test expert not good enough for you? How about Pro Football Focus, which ranks Williams with a 99 overall grade in 12 games this season? That's not only the highest grade among tackles, it's the best of all players.
In 759 snaps, Williams has allowed one sack, six QB hits, eight QB hurries and 15 pressures.
"Trent Williams, the lack of respect Trent Williams gets I think is outrageous," Kittle said. "I know that he gets highlights posted every once in a while, but you just watch every single game, every single clip, he just physically dominates every single person that's across from him.
"And the fact that he's not talked about more, I think it's outrageous. He's a hell of a football player that needs way more recognition."
Williams is a key reason the 49ers run game churns out yards and his presence allows the line to help elsewhere, knowing he can handle even All-Pro rushers one-on-one.
Kittle is correct. Williams is one of the game's best players, regardless of position. And he deserves to be recognized as such.
