SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- As a 2018 second-round pick whom the San Francisco 49ers traded up to acquire, wide receiver Dante Pettis arrived in the Bay Area with plenty of expectations. Pettis was coach Kyle Shanahan's hand-picked choice to bolster a receiving corps in need of long-term difference-makers.
Through the first 10 games, Pettis' rookie season had been mostly forgettable, save for an acrobatic touchdown catch in Week 1 against Minnesota. Nagging injuries limited Pettis' availability and on the occasions he was healthy, he was often unable to get on the field much because he'd fallen behind others in the pecking order.
Throughout that time, Shanahan stayed on Pettis, constantly reminding him that much more than what he'd previously offered was expected and that Pettis had an opportunity to establish himself as a key cog in the offense in 2019 and beyond.
"He challenges me all the time," Pettis said. "Every single play, I know that he expects more out of me so we’ve had a few talks about kind of what he expects and so I guess you could say that kind of sparked something. It’s nothing different than what I expect from myself but when the head coach kind of calls you out then it’s like ‘OK, I guess I’ve got to really get going.’"
The sample size is small but if the past two games are an indication, Pettis has finally started to "get going." With starting wideouts Marquise Goodwin (personal matter) and Pierre Garcon (knee) out, Pettis' workload has increased dramatically. So, too, has his production.
In two losses to Tampa Bay and Seattle, Pettis has been one of few bright spots, posting nine catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns. That yardage output is fifth most in the league in that span going into Monday Night Football and his three receiving scores are most in the NFL.
Against Seattle, Pettis had five receptions for 129 yards with two touchdowns, including a 75-yarder, all of which mark personal bests in his young career.
"I know where he’s going to be," quarterback Nick Mullens said. "He runs great routes and he’s done a really good job these past two games of just finding a knack for getting open... ."
In this lost 49ers season, player development has become the top priority over the season's final four weeks. The Niners are leaning on a lot of young players and they need to get a handle on what, exactly, they have in house so they can adjust their list of needs accordingly. For much of the season, receiver has appeared to rank only behind edge rusher and cornerback on that list.
However, if Pettis is able to come on and prove capable of being a productive starter, it could at least help alleviate some of the concerns at the position even if he's unlikely to do enough to render the position one where help isn't needed.
Making Pettis' development even more important is the fact that he's a second-round pick. Other than 2018 first-round tackle Mike McGlinchey, general manager John Lynch and Shanahan's first two drafts have yet to yield much in the way of long-term starters in the draft's first three rounds.
Pettis attributes his recent surge to more than just moving beyond the knee injury suffered in Week 4 that cost him three games.
"I think the more you play, the more comfortable you feel and you kind of get into a groove of things and feel the game out, know what works and what doesn’t work, all that stuff," Pettis said.
The 75-yard touchdown Pettis caught against the Seahawks offered an example of that. As he lined up wide to the left, Pettis noticed Seattle free safety Bradley McDougald lined up closer to the line of scrimmage than normal. At the snap, McDougald took a step toward tight end George Kittle on the other side of the formation.
Instead of taking a sharper angle on his post route, he went higher on it, making it look almost more like a deep dig with Seattle corner Neiko Thorpe playing outside leverage and expecting help on the inside. Mullens hit Pettis in stride and by the time Pettis turned upfield, McDougald was too late as Pettis raced the rest of the way for a touchdown.
That score was Pettis' fourth of the season, the most by a 49ers rookie since Terrell Owens matched that number in 1996. The key now is for Pettis to continue to produce over the season's final four games and cement his spot moving forward.
"Dante works hard, but sometimes guys have got to learn how urgent the NFL is," Shanahan said. "It's just a lack of experience and that's something a lot of rookies go through. Usually they learn it and if they're talented enough and work hard, they have a good career. Some of those guys who don't learn and never have that urgency, they miss their window and people move on. So, I've been definitely riding the heck out of Dante because we believe in him a lot, we know he has a lot of ability and I've told him the last couple of weeks, he's taken a huge step forward, but don't get that confused with you've arrived. It's just a couple of steps forward."