San Francisco 49ers: Three rookies who will likely start in 2018

Dante Pettis, WR

In the previous slide it was mentioned that the two most important things a team can do is one, get a quarterback, and two, protect said quarterback. In terms of creating a successful offense, getting that quarterback weapons to work with is right behind those two things.

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Heading into the draft, the 49ers had two starter-caliber wide receivers on their roster. These receivers are Pierre Garcon and Marquise Goodwin. Goodwin isn’t as much of a sure thing in terms of being a starter level player, but he looked great playing with Garoppolo last season.

Regardless, the team needed more weapons–especially a slot receiver. This is precisely why they drafted Dante Pettis in the second round of the NFL Draft, and precisely why he will be a week one starter for the team.

Pettis is highly touted for his elite route running ability, but is on the smaller side. This is what makes him such a perfect player to be the team’s slot receiver. Route running is one of the most easily translatable skills from the college to NFL level. So a player such as Pettis who’s game is built around that skill set should have far less trouble succeeding early in his career opposed to a player who relies more heavily on their athleticism.

It will be no surprise if Pettis has a strong training camp and earns a spot in the starting lineup right away.