With training camp around the corner, many players are looking to impress coaches. Some fighting for more prominent roles on their team and others are fighting for their careers. And this can be said about many players on this San Francisco 49ers squad.
With the 49ers looking to finish their rebuild in the 2019 season, players will need to step up to achieve the high expectations that are coming in for this San Francisco unit. Fortunately enough, they have three players who are looking to do this in the upcoming season.
Here are the three players who must take the next step for the San Francisco 49ers in 2019.
3. WR/PR Dante Pettis
The 49ers have been without a real number one receiver for a long time. The last wideout with over 1,000 yards was Anquan Boldin in 2014, and no other wideout has had more than five touchdown catches since Boldin in 2013 with seven.
And with a passing offense that is looking to turn things around after an underwhelming 2018, some weapons will be showcased and given the ball to a lot more in 2019. Many will look to tight end George Kittle after his historic 2018 year. Some can even talk about the new rookies at receiver in Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd. However, look to Pettis to breakout for a big year as the team's number one option.
In the Washington product's rookie season, he came through with some impressive numbers at the end of the year. He flashed the same playmaking ability he showed coming out of college in the final six games with 24 catches for 371 yards and four touchdowns.
Pettis should continue to build off of this momentum from 2018, and, hopefully, show off the same return abilities he had back in college.
2. DL Solomon Thomas
If there is any player from the 2017 rookie class that needs to step up, it's the former third overall pick. Thomas went from an average rookie season in which he came away with three sacks, ten tackles for a loss, and 11 quarterback hits to six quarterback hits, three tackles for a loss, and only one sack last season.
A lot of this is due to his mental health not being where it needed to be in his second year. Because of unfortunate circumstances involving the loss of his sister to suicide, he wasn't in the best place to perform.
But now, Thomas believes that he's in a much better place and ready to play.
I had probably the worst season of my life last year and I’m the most confident I’ve ever been in my career right now. I’m just ready to move forward and show everyone who Solomon Thomas is.
And as Thomas is moved to the interior of the defensive line, he should be able to play up to his third overall selection. In college, he played his best when playing on the inside as 91 percent of his rushes were from there and he ended his last season at Stanford with a PFF grade of 92.7.
It's a make or break year for the third year pass rusher, and he needs to step up now more than ever.
1. CB Ahkello Witherspoon
Witherspoon had arguably had an even rougher sophomore season. After a promising start to his career in 2017 with a 74.5 PFF grade and two interceptions and seven passes defended he answered that with one of the worst slumps by a second-year player. He finished with zero interceptions, four passes defended and a PFF grade at a putrid 44.9.
Witherspoon was picked on a lot due to him being opposite of the All-Pro Richard Sherman and a lack of a pass rush in 2018. He finished the year being switched in and out of the starting lineup with Jimmie Ward and being placed on injured reserve.
However, he should be able to step up and show some of the flashes he provided in his rookie season.
He had an early start to his offseason, there's an improvement to the pass rush, and he should be able to get better help from his safeties in 2019. Witherspoon has the size and athleticism to play in this defense opposite of Sherman, it's just a matter of him being able to take on the constant workload of being targeted.
It's going to be a big year to see if he can answer this call with the 49ers being confident in the same secondary.
And it starts with Witherspoon stepping up in 2019.
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