Rookie 49ers tight end George Kittle gets his chance after Vance McDonald trade

SANTA CLARA - Vance McDonald’s trade Tuesday to the Pittsburgh Steelers signals this about the 49ers offense: it’s ready to rely more on rookie tight end George Kittle and versatile fullback Kyle Juszczyk.

It also echoes this year’s theme: Out with the old regime’s players, in with the new.

McDonald’s days were numbered once the 49ers brass confirmed in April he was the subject of draft-night trade talks. Finally, 13 days before the season opener, they dealt him and a fifth-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers, in exchange for a fourth-round selection.

Kittle, a fifth-round pick from Iowa, and Juszczyk, a high-priced free agent acquisition, must now bolster a receiving aspect that McDonald never quite fulfilled in his four-year tenure, which was hindered by injuries and the highest percentage of drops among NFL tight ends.

“George is a great route runner and he’s very physical,” Juszczyk said. “I can understand why they have a lot of confidence in him and I think he’s going to do really well.”

“I try to take advantage of every opportunity that came my way, and I did that early in OTAs, so they kept feeding me more and more,” Kittle ?said. “Now we’re here so I have an opportunity to play a little more.”

General manager John Lynch, speaking Wednesday morning on KNBR 680-AM, confirmed that the franchise is all in on Kittle.

“We’re just extremely high on him. He’s shown us he can be an all-around tight end,” Lynch said. “He blocks very well. He showed up here and it wasn’t too big for him. He fit in.

“He’s got the ability to separate that Kyle really covets in his scheme,” Lynch added. “So we feel we found a great player moving forward. Now he’s got to translate. He’s young. He’s got to prove he can do it when the regular season starts and we’re confident he can.”

Lynch noted that the 49ers’ other four tight ends will “fight it out” for roster spots, those being Logan Paulsen, Garrett Celek, Blake Bell and Cole Hikutini.

“Vance isn’t the only one we’ve received calls about,” Lynch said.

“There’s a lot of interest throughout the league in our guys. People are going to be watching our roster. We feel very strong about that position.”

Kittle, college roommates with 49ers probable No. 2 quarterback C.J. Beathard, showed his NFL capabilities in an Aug. 19 exhibition against the Denver Broncos, producing a 29-yard touchdown reception with balance and power down the sideline.

Iowa’s pro-style offense has eased Kittle’s transition, and although that may have schooled him in run blocking, this 49ers offense is different - with “a lot more schemes in the passing game for me, which is really fun.”

The 49ers won’t lump all the tight end duties on Kittle, or, for that matter, any one player. Paulsen and/or Celek figure to stick as a blocking specialist. Bell has been used a lot on special teams. Hikutini could be an ideal practice squad player to develop.

Two tight ends often are deployed in Kyle Shanahan’s system, and that doesn’t necessarily include the influence of Juszczyk, who’ll be far more than Carlos Hyde’s lead blocker on running plays.

Juszczyk has been kept under wraps this exhibition season, aside from a 21-yard reception against the Denver Broncos.

Said Juszczyk: “After that play, a lot of guys on the sideline said, ‘Juice, I didn’t know you had that in you.’ ... My response is: ‘They didn’t bring me here for no reason.’”

Celek, 29, and Paulsen, 30, are the top blocking tight ends, and perhaps only one survives this week’s roster reduction. Bell and undrafted rookie Hikutini are the 49ers’ other tight ends.

“The first five years of my career, I’ve always treated it like I was always on the chopping block,” said Celek, an undrafted rookie on the 2012 NFC Championship team. “It’s served me well so I continue to have that mindset.”

Celek is part of the old regime. Paulsen arrived as a free agent, having played in Shanahan’s offense at Washington.

Will more contenders arrive at tight end once other teams pare their rosters by Saturday? Possibly.

Of course, no scenario is assured other than McDonald is gone, four years after arriving as a second-round draft pick with a receiving ability that never truly proved reliable.