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Dante Pettis WR Giants (1 Viewer)

cloppbeast

Footballguy
6'1"

186lbs

No Combine (injury)

49ers traded up to make Washington's Dante Pettis the 4th WR taken at pick no 44 in the second round. Coach Shanahan cites his versatility as one of the reasons the team wanted him: 

“We feel he fills a lot of spots for us. We’re happy with our group. We have a lot of good players before we got Pettis. We think Pettis does a little bit of everything. I think we can use him sometimes similar to how we use Marquise (Goodwin), if need be. I think we can use him inside, similar to how we use Trent (Taylor), if need be. And I think he has the hands and the toughness, and we can use him similar to Pierre (Garçon). In the meantime, he’s going to be a very good punt returner, too. He can help you on all four downs”

 
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They are name dropping reasons why I don't think he will be fantasy relevant; his role overlaps a lot with other players on the team who have already shown they can produce in the NFL. He might be good, but I feel they significantly overpaid to move up and grab him when he would probably have been there later anyway.

 
An anonymous scout told Bob McGinn Football that Washington WR Dante Pettis is "a better kick returner than he is a receiver."

The scout explained why he isn't high on Pettis' wide receiver ability, "he is quick, quicker than fast. They didn’t run him deep that much. He played the slot there. Inconsistent ball security." His return ability seems to be what teams will be paying attention to as the scout mentioned, "he excites you as a returner." Pettis holds the NCAA record for the most punt return touchdowns in a career with nine. He will likely be drafted in Rounds 3-4 with the potential to see the field immediately as a punt returner. 

Apr 27 - 11:05 AM

Source: Bob McGinn Football
 
NFL Media's Lance Zierlein compares Washington WR Dante Pettis to former NFL WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

Pettis is best known for his return skills -- he returned more punts for touchdowns than any player in NCAA history -- but he's also a solid receiver in his own right. Zierlein notes he can run the full route tree, and he can play either outside or in the slot. His concern comes from physical corners knocking him off his routes, and that his production was inconsistent. Zierlein projects Pettis to go in either third or fourth round, and he could see the field immediately because of his return skills. 

Apr 16 - 8:03 PM

Source: NFL.com
 
Washington WR Dante Pettis was graded the top punt returner among the members of the 2018 NFL Draft class.

Not a big surprise here. Pettis has returned more punts (8) for touchdowns than any player in college football history, and he average over 19 yards per return in the 2017 season. He didn't have a big year as a wide receiver, but he scored 14 touchdowns as a junior in 2016, so the ability is there as well. Still, his ability to make plays in special teams gives Pettis the best chance to make an immediate impact as a rookie.

 Apr 7 - 5:52 PM

Source: Pro Football Focus
 
This guy really interests me. I didn't look up his ADP, but it seems you can get Pettis in the late 2nd to mid-3rd in most rookie drafts. For a WR taken in the top-50 of the NFL draft (44th overall), Pettis looks to have extremely good value on the surface.

From what I can tell, the 9ers view him much more receiver than returner. I'm sure being a top returner prospect was part of their decision, but Pettis went ahead of Kirk, who's an outstanding WR prospect & also a very good returner.

Sometimes it's more about what the team thinks than us. Pettis has a great opportunity to produce if he can live up to his draft status.

Anybody have an opinion about Pettis' talent?

 
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This guy really interests me. I didn't look up his ADP, but it seems you can get Pettis in the late 2nd to mid-3rd in most rookie drafts. For a WR taken in the top-50 of the NFL draft (44th overall), Pettis looks to have extremely good value on the surface.

From what I can tell, the 9ers view him much more receiver than returner. I'm sure being a top returner prospect was part of their decision, but Pettis went ahead of Kirk, who's an outstanding WR prospect & also a very good returner.

Sometimes it's more about what the team thinks than us. Pettis has a great opportunity to produce if he can live up to his draft status.

Anybody have strong feelings about Pettis' talent?
I like his skill set. He seems to have great quickness and a natural ability to separate. He also has adequate size and good body control to win contested catches. My only question with him is whether he can compete physically vs press coverage as he is VERY slight of build. 

FWIW I think there are a few draft pundits that had him pegged as their #1 ranked WR predraft.

 
I like his skill set. He seems to have great quickness and a natural ability to separate. He also has adequate size and good body control to win contested catches. My only question with him is whether he can compete physically vs press coverage as he is VERY slight of build. 

FWIW I think there are a few draft pundits that had him pegged as their #1 ranked WR predraft.
I managed to draft him. Think the talent and opportunity present upside. This league rewards return yards, so bonus there.

 
I like his skill set. He seems to have great quickness and a natural ability to separate. He also has adequate size and good body control to win contested catches. My only question with him is whether he can compete physically vs press coverage as he is VERY slight of build. 

FWIW I think there are a few draft pundits that had him pegged as their #1 ranked WR predraft.
Is Waldman such a huge name in the industry that he counts as several pundits by himself, or was there someone else with this outlook too?

 
Replying to @LombardiHimself

Rookie WR Dante Pettis was also much more involved today than at last week’s open practice. Pettis ran some crisp routes, including what @FB_FilmAnalysis called the “Julio Jones shake route” to score a TD vs. CB CJ Goodwin.

5:21 PM - May 30, 2018

Pettis looked pretty sharp today working with second team. Got open, created a lot of separation with crisp route running.

4:29 PM - May 30, 2018

 
This guy really interests me. I didn't look up his ADP, but it seems you can get Pettis in the late 2nd to mid-3rd in most rookie drafts. For a WR taken in the top-50 of the NFL draft (44th overall), Pettis looks to have extremely good value on the surface.

From what I can tell, the 9ers view him much more receiver than returner. I'm sure being a top returner prospect was part of their decision, but Pettis went ahead of Kirk, who's an outstanding WR prospect & also a very good returner.

Sometimes it's more about what the team thinks than us. Pettis has a great opportunity to produce if he can live up to his draft status.

Anybody have an opinion about Pettis' talent?
As a Niner fan, I wasn’t particularly thrilled when they took him. I would have bet my life the move up to pick 44 was to grab Josh Jackson, but then I would be dead. 

Starting to come around some now that I see how he will eventually be used in the Shanahan offense. The perception of him as a “slot receiver” by some is way off base. He will be the replacement for Garçon, probably by next year. His ability in the return game is a plus, but he was drafted for his skills as a receiver, not as a returner.  Wish he was bigger and stronger in a perfect world, but he brings separation skills which is the main thing Shanahan looks for.  Excited for his potential in that offense once he replaces Garçon  

 
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I like this guy a lot and I agree that he's being overlooked.  I agree that the stigma of him being a "slot receiver" is unfounded and really surprises me.  When I watch his tape I see a guy who can play the outside well.  Likewise, I am very impressed with what I see.  He runs good routes and he just sucks the ball in so naturally.  The way he naturally snatches the ball out of the air reminds me a lot of DeAndre Hopkins, and also similar to Hopkins he is much better in contested situations than his height dictates he should be.

However, there are two major concerns.

1) He is really skinny.  He is the same height as Hopkins, but Nuk has a good 30lbs on him.  That's a huge difference.  Hopefully he can grow into his frame some.

2) How much did his special teams ability inflate his draft capital?  Most of us were surprised he was drafted as early as he was.  Was he really a 2nd round WR prospect or was he a 4th round WR prospect who went in the 2nd round because of his special teams ability?

I know this was touched on above a bit, but I'm not convinced it can be written off that easily.  Yes Shanahan is talking him up as a WR but we all know how much summer coachspeak is worth.

Yes Kirk could return kicks too but it's not just that Pettis was a good returner, he might have been the best in NCAA history.  Keep in mind that Devin Hester was a 2nd round pick almost solely because of his return ability, and Pettis might have been better returning kicks in college than even Hester was.

All in all, I'm a bigtime buyer and I think he's underpriced.  Everyone thought a WR landing in SF would be a great spot this offseason and now we have one that has lead WR potential and had good draft capital invested in him, and he's mostly ignored.  If Courtland Sutton had gone to SF in the early 2nd he'd probably be a top 6 rookie pick right now.  I do have my concerns as noted above and if Pettis were going in the mid-1st of rookie drafts that might scare me away.  But mid/late 2nd?  C'mon.  Sign me up immediately.

 
I like this guy a lot and I agree that he's being overlooked.  I agree that the stigma of him being a "slot receiver" is unfounded and really surprises me.  When I watch his tape I see a guy who can play the outside well.  Likewise, I am very impressed with what I see.  He runs good routes and he just sucks the ball in so naturally.  The way he naturally snatches the ball out of the air reminds me a lot of DeAndre Hopkins, and also similar to Hopkins he is much better in contested situations than his height dictates he should be.

However, there are two major concerns.

1) He is really skinny.  He is the same height as Hopkins, but Nuk has a good 30lbs on him.  That's a huge difference.  Hopefully he can grow into his frame some.

2) How much did his special teams ability inflate his draft capital?  Most of us were surprised he was drafted as early as he was.  Was he really a 2nd round WR prospect or was he a 4th round WR prospect who went in the 2nd round because of his special teams ability?

I know this was touched on above a bit, but I'm not convinced it can be written off that easily.  Yes Shanahan is talking him up as a WR but we all know how much summer coachspeak is worth.

Yes Kirk could return kicks too but it's not just that Pettis was a good returner, he might have been the best in NCAA history.  Keep in mind that Devin Hester was a 2nd round pick almost solely because of his return ability, and Pettis might have been better returning kicks in college than even Hester was.

All in all, I'm a bigtime buyer and I think he's underpriced.  Everyone thought a WR landing in SF would be a great spot this offseason and now we have one that has lead WR potential and had good draft capital invested in him, and he's mostly ignored.  If Courtland Sutton had gone to SF in the early 2nd he'd probably be a top 6 rookie pick right now.  I do have my concerns as noted above and if Pettis were going in the mid-1st of rookie drafts that might scare me away.  But mid/late 2nd?  C'mon.  Sign me up immediately.
One thing going against him, he didn't run any of the drills at the combine. Neither did Corey Davis.  :shrug:  But Pettis never had much love before the draft which has carried over afterword. Considering his draft pedigree and situation, I would think people would reconsider and take another look at him.

I can't understand at all why people knock him for his return skills. Some of those things translate to playing receiver. Elusiveness and vison helps on screen passes; fluidity, changing directions at full speed, gets a receiver open; speed also will keep defenders honest. Pettis has at least fluidity and elusiveness, even if scouts have questioned his speed. He also has some of the other abilities needed to playing receiver: high pointing the ball, and decent length (for his height). He's not really small either but just skinny. As you've said, he could add some weight to his frame. 

I will disagree with you about his route running, which can use some improvement imo. It seems to me the ability is there, but he tends to give away his route. I have no doubt he can improve if he wants.

 
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But mid/late 2nd?  C'mon.  Sign me up immediately.
Pettis went 3.1 (29th overall) in my longtime 14-team non-PPR dynasty league.

I had 3.2 & may have taken Pettis there if he hadn’t gone the pick before. I was sitting on another player (Samuels) & was also able to get Moore & Sutton earlier so I was ok with not acquiring him, but Pettis at 3.1 was the SOD of that particular draft, IMO.

Pettis’ ADP will no doubt climb, but as you alluded to, he’s outstanding value anywhere in the mid-to-late 2nd.

 
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A little google-fu yields:

Pro Day (still recovering from the ankle injury that cost him the combine, supposedly)

  • 4.47/4.49 40-yd
  • 6.87 3-cone
  • 10'5" broad
  • 36" vert
  • 11 reps
2017 "Husky Combine"

  • 6.73 3-cone
  • 10'10" broad
  • 39" vert
2016 "Husky Combine"

  • 4.39 40-yd
  • 10'9" broad
  • 41" vert
No heights/weights listed for the '17/'16 results.

 
Scouting Profile: Wide Receiver Dante Pettis from fantasypros.com. Pretty good write up, but I don't agree with some of it, particularly about his route running:

Route Running/Ability to Separate: 2.5 out of 5 stars
For being a somewhat smaller receiver, he has little twitch to his game. While watching his tape, I saw him rounding out his routes more often than not. He does appear to know the full route tree, which is a positive, and it’s also the reason he’s able to do a lot of double-moves. Even with that, though, it’s not very often you see him gain tons of separation. Can’t seem to plant a foot and go inside, even on a slant route. Maneuverability is solid off the line of scrimmage, as he’s able to juke a lot of defenders, but does take some time to get into the route. All-in-all, route-running is another average part to his game, though I’ve seen some say this is one of his highlights.
I've noticed Pettis at times round off his route, but I've also seen him make a very tight turn. This tells me he has the ability to run really good routes. Here's hoping he can manage to improve.

Stopping on a dime, after a 10 yard sprint.

Rounding one pretty bad, Credit for catching the ball with proper technique, but not a tight route. The dead leg fake doesn't do him any favors. 

Cutting a tight corner. Granted it's on a punt return, but if he can learn to sink his hips like this on his routes, he should have no problem getting open in the NFL.

 
I find it kind of funny FFers (& I'm included in this) almost automatically dismiss a prospect if he wasn't one of the top guys coming into the NFL draft as WE consider them.

There were some people on Pettis (like Waldman), but he wasn't one of the WRs the vast majority of FFers were interested in. You can tell by where Pettis is going in rookie drafts that FFers are still ignoring him for the most part. I'm not saying you should be high on Pettis solely because of draft status, but as I mentioned earlier, sometimes it's not about what we think.

The 9ers are high on Pettis & he does seem to have enough raw ability to possibly take advantage of a golden opportunity with what looks to be an outstanding QB & an emerging offense. That makes me take notice real quick. I wasn't high OR low on Pettis coming into the NFL draft. I tend to scout what I feel are the top guys, then adjust after the draft. Pettis is one of those prospects who made me take a closer look at him after the fact. I knew of Pettis & was aware Waldman & one or two other guys liked him, but nothing clicked enough to make me think he could be a potential stud until the NFL draft.

I'm drawing a blank at first thought, but I'm sure there's been similar instances of prospects going way sooner than we (the FF community) thought & succeeded. Anybody remember any? It's an interesting dynamic.

 
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I'm drawing a blank at first thought, but I'm sure there's been similar instances of prospects going way sooner than we (the FF community) thought & succeeded. Anybody remember any? It's an interesting dynamic.
Honestly, it pains me to say this as someone that is high on Pettis (and drafted him in several leagues), but it seems like usually when this happens the FF community ends up being right.

Some guys that immediately pop into mind are Troy Williamson, Derrius Heyward Bey, and Will Fuller.

 
Honestly, it pains me to say this as someone that is high on Pettis (and drafted him in several leagues), but it seems like usually when this happens the FF community ends up being right.

Some guys that immediately pop into mind are Troy Williamson, Derrius Heyward Bey, and Will Fuller.
Add John Ross. All speed guys. Pettis seems more quick than fast and is a much better route runner than those guys.

I'm sure I'm just not thinking of the players, but it seems like there's not many receivers drafted higher than FFers expected that are really good route runners that end up being busts. Could easily be that they just aren't hyped, but I'm definitely taking Pettis where I can at his ADP.

 
Add John Ross. All speed guys. Pettis seems more quick than fast and is a much better route runner than those guys.

I'm sure I'm just not thinking of the players, but it seems like there's not many receivers drafted higher than FFers expected that are really good route runners that end up being busts. Could easily be that they just aren't hyped, but I'm definitely taking Pettis where I can at his ADP.
I earlier stated “better real life player than ffl player” but I’m beginning to think he’s undervalued, especially in return leagues. 

 
I'm drawing a blank at first thought, but I'm sure there's been similar instances of prospects going way sooner than we (the FF community) thought & succeeded. Anybody remember any? It's an interesting dynamic.
I wouldn't say Pettis went WAY sooner than expected, he was projected to the 2nd round, just not that early in the 2nd. I wouldn't say it's the surprise of a Tavon Austin or Ted Ginn.

To answer your question, the only person that comes to mind is ODB... at 12 he was drafted slightly higher than the range where he was usually mocked. 

 
Dante Pettis - WR - 49ers

49ers.com's Joe Fann reports second-round WR Dante Pettis is learning all three receiver spots.

"We're throwing a lot at him," WRs coach Mike LaFleur said. "Just challenging him and seeing what he can grasp this offseason." A player the team traded up to draft in the second round, coach Kyle Shanahan talked up Pettis' versatility and flexibility after the draft, so it is not a surprise they are using him all over the field. It is not clear how big an offensive role Pettis will have right out of the gate, but he should at worst help the return game as a rookie.

Source: Joe Fann on Twitter

Jun 7 - 10:00 AM

https://twitter.com/Joe_Fann/status/1004497088187543552

 
49ers second-round WR Dante Pettis continues to impress in camp.

The 49ers gave up the 59th and 74th picks to move up and draft Pettis No. 44 overall, so it's not shocking the team continues using him all over the field. Pettis has taken advantage of Trent Taylor's absence in camp and remains a plausible starter for the Niners in Week 1. He's a terrific late-round flier in Kyle Shanahan's uptempo offense.

Related: 49ers

Source: Joe Fann on Twitter 

Jul 29 - 3:43 PM
 
He shouldn't have a problem getting open in the NFL. Not sure he can hold up at that size. Would like to see him put on some more weight. Really good in and out of his breaks.

 
He shouldn't have a problem getting open in the NFL. Not sure he can hold up at that size. Would like to see him put on some more weight. Really good in and out of his breaks.
Holding up has a lot more to do with avoiding big hits than size. You could find many anecdotes out there of smaller receivers having less injuries than larger guys. 

None of this is to say Pettis will have a healthy career. But imo, it won't be because he's 190 lbs. 

 
ESPN's Nick Wagoner reports third-round WR Dante Pettis has turned in a mixed performance through the early days of training camp.

Per Wagoner, Pettis is creating separation with "wiggle" while making plays "outside the numbers," but has "struggled on contested balls and winning at the catch point." In other words, he's looked like a rookie. Pettis isn't the biggest guy at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, but even if he struggles in traffic as a rookie, he should make an impact on special teams. It's still quite possible Pettis carves out an immediate role on offense.

Source: Nick Wagoner on Twitter 

Jul 31 - 4:43 PM

 
So little hype on this guy. I’ve been picking him up in the late 2nd in most dynasty drafts. I’m excited to see what happens with him these next few years.

 
 @Mr_KevinJones

Training camp is often glorified, but it's pretty clear Dante Pettis is bursting onto the scene. You can't teach his special route-running abilities. Kyle probably tweaks plans at WR to make sure Pettis gets targets every Sunday. This is the biggest development so far in SF camp

12:52 PM - 1 Aug 2018

 
any buzz on this guy in the preseason? my rookie draft pick is coming up and he's still on the board but I don't know anything about how he's doing this preseason. Any recent news or buzz appreciated.

 

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