The San Francisco 49ers announced on Wednesday that they have signed WR Dante Pettis to a four-year deal. With the signing, the 49ers now have all nine of the team’s 2018 draft picks under contract.
Pettis (6-1, 195) was selected by the 49ers in the second round (44th overall) of this year’s draft out of Washington. He played in 53 games (36 starts) in four years at Washington and registered 163 receptions for 2,256 yards and 24 touchdowns, in addition to 90 punt returns for 1,274 yards (14.2 average) and nine touchdowns. He set the NCAA record for career punt returns for touchdowns (nine). In 2017, he was a consensus First-Team All-America selection and earned First-Team All-Pac-12 honors at both wide receiver and return specialist after playing in 13 games (12 starts) and tallying 63 receptions for 761 yards and seven touchdowns while adding 21 punt returns for 428 yards (20.4 average) and four touchdowns. He tied the NCAA record with a punt return for a touchdown in three consecutive games. As a junior, he played in 14 games (11 starts) and earned Second-Team All-Pac-12 honors after recording 53 receptions for 822 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also notched 25 punt returns for 287 yards (11.5 average) and two touchdowns. His 15 touchdown receptions ranked as the third-most in a single season in school history, seventh-most in a single season in Pac-12 history and seventh-most in the country in 2016. As a sophomore, he was named Second-Team All-America by The Sporting News as a punt returner and earned Second-Team Academic All-Pac-12 honors. He played in 13 games (eight starts) and tallied 30 receptions for 414 yards and one touchdown while adding 16 punt returns for 271 yards (16.9 average) and two touchdowns. In 2014, he played in 13 games (five starts) and registered 17 receptions for 259 yards and one touchdown along with 28 punt returns for 288 yards and one touchdown.
A 22-year-old native of San Clemente, CA, he attended JSerra Catholic High School.