Head coach Kyle Shanahan is excited about new San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Dante Pettis. He's so excited about the rookie that the team moved up 15 spots to ensure they didn't miss out on drafting Pettis in the second round.
"He was a guy that we saw, 'Hey, this guy is going to go,'" general manager John Lynch said. "So, we came into the draft really saying, 'Hey, if we could come out with him, we'd be doing very well,' and we were fortunate. We moved up where we thought we needed to be and we were still hanging on. But, we got it done. It happened right before the buzzer, and we got it in, and we're pleased to have done so."
Pettis had just 163 receptions in four years with the Huskies. Where he flourished is on special teams as a returner. Over his collegiate career, Pettis returned nine punts for touchdowns while averaging 14.2 yards per return. Four of those nine scores came during his senior year. He had 1,274 return yards in 90 attempts during his time at Washington.
Shanahan can't really compare Pettis to a single receiver on the 49ers' roster right now, so he compared him to each.
"We think Pettis does a little bit of everything," Shanahan said. "I think we can use him sometimes similar to how we use Marquise (Goodwin) if need be. I think we can use him inside similar to how we use Trent (Taylor) if need be. I think he has the hands and toughness. We can use him similar to Pierre (Garçon).
"In the meantime, I think he's going to be a very good punt returner too. So, he's a guy that adds a lot of versatility to our team, and when I speak of someone with those type of traits, he's a guy who can help you out an all four downs, not just third down, not just first or second and then also special teams."
Pettis was used all over the field within Washington's offensive in 2017.
"So, the first three years, I was pretty much an outside receiver," Pettis said via a conference call on Friday. "But, my last year there, they kind of moved me all around. I was playing outside, and I was playing inside, and they lined me up in the backfield and motioned me out. I did a lot of different things this last year, and it was a lot of fun."
Pettis' nine total punt returns for touchdowns is an FBS-record. The 49ers have not returned a punt for a score in their last 111 games, which is the third-longest active streak in the NFL, per ESPN Stats.
While Pettis' return skills got him noticed by NFL teams, Shanahan further explained why he likes what he can do as a receiver.
"I thought he was one of the best receivers versus bump-and-run," Shanahan continued. "He's got the lower half where he can cut outside of his frame and be good with his feet. So, when it comes to bump-and-run, I think that's one of the things I think he did better than anyone in the draft."
Pettis is also hoping to make a name for himself as an NFL receiver and not just a returner. He's already familiar with Shanahan's offensive, having watched it for years.
"I'm hoping to do a lot of different things," Pettis said. "Whether that's taking a deep post, taking the top off of the defense or getting a little screen and breaking a few tackles, making a big play that way or just moving the chains on third down. You know, there's a lot of different things that I feel I can do that I can translate into the NFL."
