Niner Noise
FanSided

49ers film room: Breaking down WR Dante Pettis’ offensive fit

By Chris Wilson

SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 30: Wide receiver John Ross #1 of the Washington Huskies is congratulated by wide receiver Dante Pettis #8 after scoring a touchdown against the Stanford Cardinal in the second quarter on September 30, 2016 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 30: Wide receiver John Ross #1 of the Washington Huskies is congratulated by wide receiver Dante Pettis #8 after scoring a touchdown against the Stanford Cardinal in the second quarter on September 30, 2016 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
11 of 11
Next
49ers Film Room Dante Pettis
PULLMAN, WA – NOVEMBER 25: Dante Pettis #8 of the Washington Huskies celebrates his touchdown with teammate John Ross #1 in the first half against the Washington State Cougars during the 109th Apple Cup at Martin Stadium on November 25, 2016 in Pullman, Washington. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /

Trick Plays

In Shanahan’s first season with the 49ers, the head coach was more focused on acclimating his three starting quarterbacks in his offensive system than installing trick plays that keep defenses on their toes. Now that Garoppolo is established as the team’s franchise quarterback, look for Shanahan to expand the number of trick plays in the team’s arsenal — with Pettis being be a key part of that effort.

Immediately after Pettis was drafted, Bleacher Report’s Doug Farrar compared him to former Falcons receiver Taylor Gabriel:

While the two wideouts are fairly dissimilar — Pettis has a half-foot and 20 pounds on Gabriel, who’s one of the fastest receivers in the league — one way that Shanahan may utilize them similarly is getting the ball into Pettis’ hands behind the line of scrimmage, either on screens or reverses.

As the son of a major league baseball player, Pettis has the arm to unleash a deep pass, as well as the quickness and agility in the open field to take a handoff for a long gain:

Next: 49ers rookies who will be immediate starters

In breaking down Dante Pettis’ college tape, we see that the wide receiver fits into Kyle Shanahan’s offensive system in a multitude of ways. If Pettis can continue to perfect his craft — while hitting the weight room this offseason — the second-round draft pick could have a prominant role in the San Francisco 49ers’ offense in 2018.

Special thanks to Draft Breakdown for their compilation of college game film.