The San Francisco 49ers didn't expect their 2018 season to play out the way it did. They ended the season with a 4-12 record but they did have a few players stand out like Dante Pettis.
Pettis was the 49ers' second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Washington. In college, Pettis was a dangerous returner who was a touchdown machine on offense and special teams.
At Washington, the speedy wideout had nine return touchdowns during his time there. He also had 24 receiving touchdowns—scoring 15 of them in his 2016 season.
The 49ers needed a wide receiver who could stretch the field and Pettis could do just that. In his limited amount of starts, Pettis managed to get 27 receptions, 467 yards, and five touchdowns.
In addition, Jimmy Garoppolo went down with an injury early in the season so Pettis was dealing with backup quarterbacks all season. There are exciting things ahead for the young wide receiver if he can improve on these three things this offseason.
3. Route Running
One of the most surprising aspects of Pettis' game in his rookie season was his above average route running. So, necessarily this isn't something he needs to majorly improve upon—rather just keep improving moving forward.
Last season, Pettis averaged 3.4 yards of separation per route run. That ranked 18th among all wide receivers and tight ends during the 2018 season.
The 49ers didn't really allow Pettis to showcase his talents until Week 10 of last season. From then on, Pettis flashed his potential as a potent route runner.
In addition, from Week 10 through Week 15, Pettis had four games with four or more receptions and scored four touchdowns. His best game came against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12 where he had five receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns.
If Pettis wants to keep improving as a wide receiver, he should continue perfecting his route running.
2. Catch Percentage
One of the areas that Pettis could definitely improve on is his catch percentage. During the 2018 season, Pettis caught 60% of the passes thrown his way.
His 60-percent catch percentage ranked as the 41st worst among all wide receivers and tight ends who saw a minimum of 43 targets. Although his catch percentage can include drops or a bad route, it could also include a bad throw.
Pettis was pretty sure handed in 2018, only dropping two passes over the course of the whole regular season. Not too bad for a guy who did most of his damage as a returner or big-play guy in college.
The 49ers would love to see Pettis catch more of the passes thrown in his direction in 2019.
1. Get More Involved
This improvement involves Kyle Shanahan utilizing Pettis more but it also relies on Pettis stepping up into a larger role. The wide receiver position was a huge need for the 49ers this offseason but the guy they need might just be the guy they drafted in 2018.
In 2018, injuries and other events caused Pettis to be in and out of the lineup until later in the season. Once Week 10 came, Pettis was heavily involved in the offense.
The dangerous wide receiver strung together a great few weeks before getting hurt once again—missing Weeks 16 and 17. Now, Pettis has a whole offseason in San Francisco's offseason program to get healthy and fit to take on more responsibility within the offense.
Pettis can garner the attention of Shanahan by continuing to work hard and improving his abilities as a receiver. If he can take another step forward from his 2018 season, we could see Pettis begin Week 1 as the top wideout on the 49ers' roster.
Follow Us
Subscribe