San Francisco 49ers: 3 best training camp battles of 2018 so far
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: Wide Receiver
Over the first two days of practice, Dante Pettis was seeming to look like he was a reach for the 49ers at No. 44 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Pettis was sluggish and indecisive, not showing the excellent route-running capabilities that made him a star at Washington.
All that changed when the pads came on during day three’s practices, though.
Pettis began to display that route running and his separation skills, making some excellent grabs in both one-on-one drills and full 11-on-11 practices. Like this one:
Rookie WR Dante Pettis slips by CB Tyvis Powell and raises hand, perhaps signaling a go route to Jimmy Garoppolo. #49ers pic.twitter.com/I4atIZsn57
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) July 29, 2018
Not to be outdone, fellow rookie receiver Richie James made splashes in camp. Niner Noise’s Aaron Tan described his efforts, saying:
"However, observing this practice told me that James would not only have a 100 percent chance of making the roster, but should also have a big role on the offense in the 2018 season. James caught everything headed his way, even when coverage was very tight. He was getting a lot of reps and it is very clear that the coaching staff loves him."
One of the bigger connections during camp, though, came on day four when Jimmy Garoppolo found the speedy Marquise Goodwin on a one-on-one drill, making cornerback Richard Sherman look bad in the process.
Early training camp thought: The 49ers receivers have been pretty impressive - particularly guys lower on the depth chart. Kendrick Bourne, Dante Pettis, Victor Bolden, Aaron Burbridge and Richie James have all been tough covers. It’s looking like a deep group.
— Chris Biderman (@ChrisBiderman) July 29, 2018
So far, San Francisco’s crop of wideouts has been exceeding expectations this camp. And if that trend continues, Kyle Shanahan and Co. will have a very difficult series of decisions to make naming the 53-man roster.
dark. Next. Top 10 takeaways from the first week of 49ers training camp
The Niners resume training camp on Tuesday, July 31 at 1:15 p.m. ET from Santa Clara. Be sure to stay tuned to Niner Noise for all your camp coverage and analysis.