Day six of training camp is in the books, and it was a physical one for the San Francisco 49ers. Here are 5 Fangirl Takeaways from today’s practice.
The Potential of Dante Pettis
Rookie Dante Pettis continued his strong camp today. He ended practice with a 40ish-yard TD reception from Jimmy Garoppolo, which was set up earlier in the drive when Pettis converted on 3rd down.
“I think he’s gotten better each day,” said head coach Kyle Shanahan. “He’s going through some of his rookie bumps, like they all do. But, I think he’s gotten better each day. It seemed like he had a real good day out there today and I hope it continues.”
Pettis caught several other passes throughout practice from both Garoppolo and C.J. Beathard.
“I think that’s why we traded up to go get him because we knew he had a skill set that fit us,” said Shanahan. “It’s sometimes hard to see in college because they don’t see a lot of man-to-man coverage…He was such a good kick returner and got so many opportunities returning the ball, you could see he had the movement with the ball in his hands. Now, it’s about showing him that he naturally can do it and get him to do it in his routes. If you can make guys miss with your feet when you have the ball in your hand, you should be able to do it in routes, too. To combine that with his speed and his hands and his intelligence, which he is very smart, you feel pretty confident that he’s going to continue to get better.”
The Right Guard Battle
Joshua Garnett sat out his third straight day with a knee injury. Garnett, who was out all last season, is battling for the starting right guard position with Jonathan Cooper, Erik Magnuson, and Mike Person. However, with both Cooper and Garnett hurt, it’s Magnuson and Person who have actually been battling and splitting first-team reps.
“It’s tough to make this team and do it if you’re not out there,” said Shanahan. “I was a little surprised Garnett didn’t make it today. I’d be more surprised if he’s not out there tomorrow. Coop’s really day-to-day. We just put him in individual, I think today was his second day of individual in a row. We’ll probably continue this week and see if he’s ready for practice next week after an entire day off. But, it’s given opportunities to other guys, guys like Magnuson and Person. Some guys have gotten more reps, but that’s a part of football. We’ll see who our guy is there, but hopefully those guys can get out there so they have a chance for it to be them.”
Richard Sherman and the Secondary
Cornerback Richard Sherman had no issues keeping up with receivers today. In red zone 1-on-1 drills, Sherman won all of his battles, two covering Pierre Garçon and one covering Kendrick Bourne.
Other than the above mentioned Pettis touchdown, Ahkello Witherspoon had a solid day in coverage, including two PBUs during red zone drills. K’Waun Williams had a pass break up as well.
George Kittle – Breakout Year?
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After a highlight yesterday, tight end George Kittle had another good day with a number of long catches. The most impressive came on the right side of the field, as he caught it one-handed before getting out of bounds. He also had a nice catch up the middle on a pass Garoppolo threw over LB Malcolm Smith, who was activated off the NFL list yesterday.
Beathard is Going to the Hall of Fame
Not that Beathard. Not exactly.
Quarterback C.J. Beathard will miss Sunday’s practice so that he can be in Canton, Ohio as his grandfather Bobby Beathard is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“I know it means a lot to him,” Shanahan said. “He would never tell us, and he definitely didn’t ask. Then when I told him he had to go and he didn’t have a choice, then he told us how thankful he was.”
Beathard may not have asked for permission to go, but he is very happy to have the opportunity to be there to support his grandfather who taught him so much about football and about life.
“My grandpa was one of my biggest, if not the biggest, role model in my life,” said Beathard. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for him.”