The 49ers nearly cut Cameron Latu last year. Now he has a second shot to prove himself. and he probably won't get a third one. What does he need to do specifically?
They drafted him in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft, but he was so bad during training camp and preseason that he essentially played his way off the roster. But he injured his meniscus during the 49ers' final preseason game which allowed them to place Latu on season-ending Injured Reserve. Now he has a second shot to prove himself. and he probably won't get a third one.
Latu is a former linebacker who switched to tight end at Alabama, a school that runs the ball and plays a physical style of football, so he should be a good blocker for the 49ers if he ever gets on the field. But to play, he'll have to show that he also can catch the ball, because he's a tight end, not an offensive lineman. And last offseason, catching the ball was a big issue for Latu.
Latu isn't exactly the fastest tight end -- he runs a 4.78, which is relatively slow. So getting open isn't easy for him. He doesn't have the quickness and explosion to beat man-to-man coverage, which means Kyle Shanahan will have to scheme him open. And Shanahan can do that. But if Latu can't catch the ball, what's the point?
Last offseason, Latu dropped more passes than he caught. He was a drop waiting to happen. At times it seemed like he was fighting the ball with his hands rather than catching it. Maybe he simply was pressing because he was a rookie. Whatever the case, he needs to show he can catch the freaking ball.Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011.
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