Why Dante Pettis has Value

I've called 49ers wide receiver Dante Pettis a bust, and still believe he is one. But, I will argue against myself today and make the counterargument of why Pettis is not a bust. Arguing against yourself enlarges your intellect and understanding of a situation by trying to take the other side. It's what people should do all the time.

I've been so hard on Dante Pettis, even he called me out politely in the 49ers locker room last season. He said you can't label any wide receiver a bust after just two seasons. Fair enough, Dante.

Pettis struggled in 2019, but lots of NFL wide receivers have had "sophomore slumps," and then gone on to produce successful career. Pettis could be one of those receivers.

He certainly played well during his rookie season when Nick Mullens was the 49ers starting quarterback. Pettis gained 359 receiving yards during his final five games of the 2018 season. Meaning he was on pace to gain 1,148 receiving yards during a full 16-game schedule. Outstanding.

Mullens trusted Pettis and threw him lots of passes, gave him opportunities to build confidence and get in the flow of the game. Jimmy Garoppolo simply doesn't seem to trust Pettis -- not yet, anyway.

And Pettis doesn't seem to fit the 49ers offense anymore, because it's all about runs and short passes to wide receivers who are built like running backs and break tackles after the catch. That's not Pettis.

Pettis specializes at getting open downfield. He can string cuts together one after another -- boom boom boom -- and make defensive backs spin in circles. But the 49ers don't throw the ball downfield much anymore. The passing game is built on yards after the catch, not yards through the air.

If the 49ers trade Pettis to a team with a quarterback who trusts Pettis and likes throwing the ball downfield more than once or twice a game, he could have terrific seasons in the NFL.

Pettis actually has talent. He just might be more valuable to another team.

Dante, I hope you read this. I said very nice things about you. Be nice to me next time you see me.