49ers Film Room: Rookie second-round wide receiver Dante Pettis

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

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) /

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SEATTLE, WA – NOVEMBER 19: Defensive back Maurice Chandler #16 of the Arizona State Sun Devils breaks up a pass intended for wide receiver Dante Pettis #8 of the Washington Huskies on November 19, 2016 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. The Huskies defeated the Sun Devils 44-18. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

Attacking Underthrown Passes

While Pettis generally did a good job of adjusting to poorly thrown passes at Washington, one area he will need to improve on is his ability to make plays on underthrown passes.

Instead of attacking the ball at its highest point, Pettis often slowed down and waited for the ball to fall to him, and sometimes seemed overly concerned with running after the catch. By being passive, and not using his body to shield defenders away from the pass, Pettis allowed corners to close the distance on the receiver and make a play on the ball.

Pettis is a tough receiver who isn’t afraid of contact, and he demonstrated the ability to go vertical to make plays, so his tendency to wait for a deep underthrown pass to fall instead of attacking the ball at its highest point is a trait that should be fairly easy to coach away: