The best tight end in football is no longer Rob Gronkowski, since the former New England Patriots star announced his retirement in March.  Since then, the consensus on who the best at the position is has turned to George Kittle of the 49ers. 

And Gronk agrees. 

"I like to go with George Kittle," Gronkowski said in an interview on The Lefkoe Show when asked for his opinion on who's the best tight end. " His game ... I just like his game.  I said it before: He just kind of reminds me of myself.  When he gets the ball, man, he just wants to keep going.  Just doesn't care who's coming at him ... just wants to break through all the tackles." 

The 30-year-old had to choose between Kittle and Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce. 

Gronk has spoken on the similarities between him and Kittle before during an interview with FOX Sports while he was doing some analyst work.  The man crush is real. 

As far as the numbers are concerned, Kittle had a sensational season in 2018 with 1,377 receiving yards and five touchdowns during his Pro Bowl campaign. 

This season, despite being sidelined in a couple of games with a knee and ankle injury, Kittle's numbers are still impressive, including an almost 20 percent increase in catching percentage (64.7 percent in 2018, 80.7 percent this season).  He's become the team's go-to pass-catcher as a tight end. 

[RELATED: Kittle impressed by Ross Dwelley's play in his place]

And their personalities also are comparable, as both are fun-loving and outgoing. 

Given Gronk's NFL accolades, including four All-Pro selections and three Super Bowl championships, a compliment from him is almost priceless.