When the San Francisco 49ers drafted Dante Pettis back in April, the team added a versatile weapon to the passing game and special teams threat. Pettis hauled in 164 receptions for 2,256 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns in four seasons at the University of Washington. He also set the NCAA record with nine-career punt return touchdowns.
Pettis was the fourth wide receiver taken in the 2018 NFL Draft, behind Carolina Panthers wide receiver D.J. Moore, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley and Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton.
With Madden NFL 19 set to release in August, the EA Sports team ranked the top five rookie wide receivers. Pettis made the cut as the third-highest rated wide receiver among his rookie peers.
| Top Five Rookie Wide Receivers |
|---|
| 1. D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers (77 OVR) |
| 2. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons (77 OVR) |
| 3. Dante Pettis, San Francisco 49ers (76 OVR) |
| 4. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos (75 OVR) |
| 5. Anthony Miller, Chicago Bears (74 OVR) |
According to Madden:
"Pettis and the other WRs mentioned so far are under the Deep Threat Archetype, so he carries similar scores in his ratings. At 90 Speed, he doesn't carry the same breakaway potential as Moore or Ridley, but his hands are a nice tradeoff. An 85 Catching makes him the most dependable of this five. He can't do anything too fancy with it once he catches it, without a ball carrying move above 90, but at least he can grab the pass if it's within reach."
