There's been a lot of discussion surrounding what the returns of Jalen Hurd and Trent Taylor from injury might mean for the San Francisco 49ers offense. Hurd dealt with a back injury that forced him to miss his entire rookie campaign while Taylor, who had hoped to play during his third NFL season, dealt with the complications from a fracture in his foot.
John Lynch joined 95.7 The Game on Thursday and brought up one more name — Dante Pettis. Fans seem ready to write off the second-round pick from just two years ago. The 49ers general manager isn't, and believes the young receiver can still contribute.
"I know a lot of people have soured on him, but we haven't," Lynch said on the Joe, Lo and Dibs show. "He didn't come to camp ready to play last year, physically, and we challenged him. That's got to change. We believe, if he does, that he's a guy who can really excel in our offense."
Pettis hauled in just 11 receptions for 109 yards with two touchdowns last season. He did not register a catch after October and was inactive for Super Bowl LIV.
"So, there's three players that we're very excited about," Lynch continued, "but have to go show that they're ready and prepared to play this year, and available for us. Those are three guys, in addition to (rookie Brandon) Aiyuk, that we feel could take a big jump if they're out there on the field."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.