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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) /
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49ers Film Room Dante Pettis
ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 31: Anthony Averett #28 of the Alabama Crimson Tide tackles Dante Pettis #8 of the Washington Huskies during the 2016 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome on December 31, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Adjusting Route Depth

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Another area Pettis will need to address this offseason is a lack of adjustment in his route depth, particularly when facing man coverage.

For example, when running a comeback route at the sticks, Pettis tended to break his routes off short — particularly if the cornerback turned his hips — which lead to the receiver catching passes a yard or two short of the line-to-gain.

Pettis often made up for his short routes with his athleticism after the catch, which would net the team a first down. However, he will find that against NFL competition, catching comeback routes or out routes short of the sticks will rarely result in a fresh set of downs.

One factor regarding his route depth is Pettis often shortened his routes — or failed to extend his routes — on first and second downs.

Perhaps the Huskies’ coaching staff didn’t take issue with their athletic receivers shortening their routes in an attempt to get the ball into their hands on early downs.

Either way, Pettis will need to work on maintaining proper route depth now that he is playing in the NFL: