In Wednesday’s joint 49ers-Texans practice in Houston, San Francisco rookie wide receiver Dante Pettis made a big play, grabbing a 40-yard over-the-shoulder pass from Jimmy Garoppolo.
It was just the latest highlight from Pettis this summer. The second-round pick from the University of Washington has impressed teammates and coaches with his ability to run routes, his good hands and his speed. In college, Pettis made game-breaking plays, and it appears he’ll make plays for the 49ers this season, too.
In fact, Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group reported that after Wednesday's practice, Texans’ star receiver DeAndre Hopkins indicated he's also a fan. Hopkins walked by Pettis and told him, “I like your game, man.”
Pettis gives the 49ers an infusion of speed, but he’s not alone. Across both the offense and defense, players such as wideouts Pettis, Marquise Goodwin and Richie James, running back Jerick McKinnon, linebackers Reuben Foster and Fred Warner and cornerback Tarvarius Moore have given the team’s roster a big dose of quickness over the past two years.
It’s no accident. It’s one of the goals of 49ers general manager John Lynch.
“One thing I love seeing that you’re starting to feel more on our roster is, we put a premium on speed and you can feel it on our team,” Lynch told 49ers.com’s Keiana Martin Thursday after practice. “You can feel it all over. Last year we sprinkled it in on places, but this year I think we’ve added more and more. When you have that all over the field, that’s a great quality to have.
“That’s fun for me to come out here and see it. But you really just look at all the different combinations. There still are some spots that are open for competition and it’s fun to watch those develop.”
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The 49ers and Texans will play an exhibition game Saturday in Houston, with kickoff set for 5 p.m.
