Going into 2019, it looked like Dante Pettis would be the San Francisco 49ers' No. 1 wide receiver by default. After all, the rest of the receiving corps is full of rookies and veterans who don't have much left.

But just because Pettis looks like the frontrunner does not mean he is a shoo-in.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan says that Pettis, who started and played 17 snaps in San Francisco's first preseason game this past Saturday, is not even guaranteed a starting job:

“I wanted him to compete,” Shanahan said of Pettis, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. “We’re trying to see who our starting receivers are, and I wanted to get him a chance to get out there. Dante has a lot of room to grow. He can still get a lot better. So can a lot of the other guys.”

Rookies Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd are both challenging Pettis for a starting role, and both players actually got the better of Pettis in the first exhibition contest, as Pettis went without a catch.

Pettis, who played his collegiate football at the University of Washington, was originally selected by the Niners in the second round (44th pick overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.

He had a solid rookie campaign, playing in 12 games and catching 27 passes for 467 yards and five touchdowns.

But, obviously, the 23-year-old has not yet proven himself enough to warrant being considered a lock, and with a couple of talented first-year wideouts on his heels, it seems like it would strongly behoove Pettis to have a good preseason.