49ers draft WR Dante Pettis in Round 2

Posted By on April 27, 2018

Washington wide receiver Dante Pettis (8) against Penn State during the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 30, 2017, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

SANTA CLARA  — The 49ers almost got it right.

They traded pick Nos. 59 and 74 to the Washington Redskins for pick No. 44. Good move. After the trade, two future Pro Bowl cornerbacks were available — Isaiah Oliver and Josh Jackson. The 49ers could have either one. Good position to be in.

Instead, the 49ers took wide receiver Dante Pettis from Washington.

Pettis may have a bright future in the league, but he probably will be on the bench next season. The 49ers’ top-three wide receivers are set for 2018. They are Pierre Garcon, Marquise Goodwin and Trent Taylor.

The 49ers needed to add starters to all three levels of their defense. This was a luxury pick the 49ers didn’t have the luxury to make.

GRADE: D

This article has 104 Comments

  1. Can’t argue with this. Still can draft a CB and DE in the top 100. Let’s see what happens.

  3. This is a really odd move for me. I thought Pettis made a fair bit of sense for Shanahan’s offense given his route running and agility, but no way did I expect the 49ers to take him round 2, let alone move up for him.

    As for need, 49ers showed last year they are one injury away from having nobodies playing. So it was a need. But there are plenty of other needs on the team as well, with plenty of talent available.

    To me this draft so far shows Shanahan has put his put his foot down and decided he wants to get his offense rolling. They now have their QB. The team’s success will be built on offense.

  4. I like Pettis, it’s just that I liked Miller Better. If he can produce in the return game and give Jimmy a short field; it’s gonna be a scorefest. Not the player I would have targeted, but that’s why I’m just a hack. We shall see. Moving forward, let’s see what’s up with these next two picks….

  5. Guess they thought the WR position needed bolstering. Maybe Attaocho and Toomer filled their pass rush needs. Maybe the emergence of Sherman gives them confidence in their DBs.
    .
    I think this was a KS pick.

  6. Garcon cant be counted on!!! guy broke he darn neck!! Both he and Sherman are coming back from injuries……but cb is a great need and wr is not!!????
    how about giving us some INFORMATION!!!! like 40 time, stats etc….
    or about how dynamic he is and if hes a return man or not……
    or do we have to go to real journalist sites??

  7. Shanny is a former WR. I will trust Kyle’s judgement. He knows exactly what he wants in a WR, separation.

    1. He must fit exactly what KS wants in his offensive scheme, but Special Teams can win or lose games.

      1. Yes. I think they see him as a X eventually or they wouldn’t have traded up for him. KS and Garcon will get him ready.

  8. Insurance as a receiver but his strength and best attribute is punt returner.
    I thought the pick was a little high but Pettis fills a big need on Special Teams.

  9. He can run the full route tree, gets decent separation, speed is adequate but not scary. He needs to add muscle to his frame, and pit bull to his soul….

      1. Akers was being booed profusely (he was announcing the Eagles selection. Akers gave the Dallas fans a little lesson in history by saying that not only has it been a long time since they won their last Superbowl, but he went on to say that the players they draft tonight weren’t even born yet since their last Superbowl!
        Wow, you got to respect that.

  14. D??? that is generous. This rates an F!!! Just horrible. Lynch is in way over his head. They gave up too much on the trade. Then the pick was bad. He would have fallen to them later, and he isn’t special anyway. Just really really bad. I hate the trade. I hate the pick. And I am starting to hate Lynch. You don’t get to the Super Bowl by continuously giving away value.

  15. Well I’m a hopeless optimist but you know what? Shanny knows receivers and furthermore, he knows precisely what he wants in his receivers. The other thing Shanny knows is how to create space, and from what I’ve read, this guy is dangerous in space.

    1. Yea, he fits the west coast scheme by the full route tree, and run after catch. Gotta get stronger and hungrier though.

      1. Yes sir. No reason to think he won’t. As folks around here often say, “once he gets into an NFL strength program…”

  16. ’17 All-American with most career punt return touchdowns in NCAA history who some feel is the best route runner in the draft. Could always be worse I guess.

  17. did they really need to trade up 15 spots for him?

    looks like he was mocked to go in the 3rd-4th round & it’s not like there was a run on WRs before or after.

    no one can know for sure, but seems like an unnecessary 15 spot move up. maybe move up 2-5 spots.

  18. What Pettis seems to lack in spirit, Dawson has in spades. He’s a fiery competitor.

  21. Grant,
    Swapping a 2nd and throwing in 3rd for Oliver would have been an incredibly stupid trade. To move up one spot they could have swapped 2nd’s a threw in a 7th round pick. That trade would have rated an F. imho

  22. It seems like Shanahan finds offensive players he likes that fit his system, falls in love with them, and then overdrafts them (Beatherd, Williams, Taylor, McGlinchey, Pettis) or overpays them (Jusczyk, McKinnon, and even Garoppolo). It is not that they are not good, it is just that he has no patience and gives up value. It seems Lynch just does whatever Kyle wants.

    1. Bang! Correct! What’s this BPA BS?? F*** I hope I’m wrong & this dude does something!

    2. Still we could’ve got much better with BPA….. alright still trusting these dudes!

      Damn top corner would’ve been IIIIIIT!

      1. Phew thats good to hear. Niners seem to be in love with speed on the offensive side of the ball. Also at 6’1 he is a bit taller than I expected from punt returner. Niners seem to be in love with the explosive play no matter where it comes from.

  26. Trade lost about 75 chart points. Roughly a mid 4th. Lynch really must have loved Pettis. Spooked someone would grab him.

    Was hoping for a corner. Many here preferred Josh Jackson over Denzel Ward. Surprised a major above chart trade-up was needed to secure Pettis.

    Love Pettis punt returns. Looking forward to seeing him play.

  27. Pettis might take a year to be a good NFL receiver but he will be the best punt returner in the NFL. He will shorten the field for Jimmy G all year long.

    1. And that’s the key. By shortening the field on punt returns, he could be very valuable. It’s hard to overstate how important that is. If he becomes a good receiver, which it appears he should be, all the sweeter.

  29. Guess when they said they were going to build the defense through the draft , that was last year I guess . hope we fill some defensive holes with the rest .

    Thought was to build a young defense ,and let them grow together .

    Add JG , wondering what we get next ?

    Anyone

  32. One thing that just came to mind is Pettis will have Jimmy throwing him balls instead of Browning. Arrows up.

  33. Good pick by the Bucs for Davis, and Maiocco had him in the 4th…smh. My only concern is his ability to turn and locate the ball. That’s what made me cool on him a bit….

  34. Hopefully all the wanna be GM’s on this site can take Lynch’s job before the 2019 draft and save the
    SF 49ers…

    Grant, make sure to save all the critical comments and use them in review of 2018-19 season to see
    who panned out and who didn’t.

  37. Let’s face it, this draft has been nothing but a major disappointment for the Niners so far. 2012 draft all over again.

    1. This is an amazing breakdown of Pettis. I like what I see but I am not sure why we would need to trade up to get him. I suppose that is why I am at home watching the draft and not in Santa Clara making the pics.

      2. To be fair dmic, Baalke was in Santa Clara making pics and most people at home did better than him and Lynch’ s expierence is as a player and broadcaster see Matt Millen.

  40. Like the fact he can get separation and turn on a dime. Does his damage in space and has good hand and body control.

    1. Thanks for the link, Gabriel. Fun to watch, and encouraging-sure would be nice to add some special team scoring to the arsenal. He’s got good speed, good moves, great vision, and even ran through some tackles. Now, if we can only, somehow, some way, teach the PR and kick return teams to NOT hold, and NOT block in the back…
      On the other hand, ST scores put our defense back on the field (ahem…might be time to address the D, no?)

  42. Grant, chill until u see the whole draft picture. AT THIS POINT, here is what I see. 1st…they really like Pettis. He will b a big piece of the field position game in his rookie year and will be a starter sooner than later. 2nd…knowing that Sherman and Witherspoon were 5th and 3rd round picks and there are at least 6 corners that fit their profile that they can have in the 3rd and 4th round, why spend the 2nd rounder on a corner when u don’t have to. In this draft, it was the right move. But time will tell.

  44. Uh?

    This trade and pick don’t make sense to me. No corner?

    I’m hoping Lynch makes this make sense by trading for a corner, but who the **** gives up a good DB (besides Trent)?

  46. OMG. What is happening.

    1. How many slot receivers does a team need.
    2. Didn’t I just read this guy is a wimp who cant get off the line.
    3. I dont have the energy to list all of the players I would preferred at that spot over this goofball.
    4. Every game next year will be a 44-40 shootout.
    5. With pick 70 niners draft a backup QB

    1. I am not sure he will be just a slot reciever… He seems to never get caught from behind, he can add some size and strength without losing speed. He has amazing hands and tracks the ball well. Once the ball is in his hands he is a threat. Also needed depth at WR.

      I do scratch my head at why we moved up and gave up as much as we did for him and that we seemingly have so many higher needs.

  53. I like this pick. His physique reminds me of a certain wide receiver pick from a few years back.

    1. Yep. Future Will to allow Smith or someone else to fill in for Foster. I think Smith is cost prohibitive in 2019.

  58. CB is either coming up at the bottom of the 3rd like Meeks, or running back like Freeman or edge with Sweat.

  65. Totally disagree. Trent Taylor had a fine year but he isn’t even close to the potential an athletic slot receiver could bring to the position.. Taylor is physically vulnerable and he should be challenged which is exactly what Pettis allows to occur.. I like the pick and am looking forward to several more UDFA’s to challenge the others and add depth..

  66. Shanahan really, really wanted this guy. He reminds me of a young John Taylor, roughly the same height and weight and has that amazing vision and ability to set up blocks while returning punts. If he turns into another John Taylor he will be the steal of the draft. I can’t wait to see him running those WR screen plays Shanny likes.

Comments are closed.