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Latu coming on strong in competition for final 49ers roster spot originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Tight end Cameron Latu went up to haul in a 24-yard pass from quarterback Brandon Allen on Friday night.
A few yards away on the 49ers’ sideline, George Kittle reacted with an abundance of enthusiasm. He jumped in the air, pumped his fist and looked as if he wanted to rush the field to congratulate Latu.
Latu is beginning to show some of the promise the 49ers saw in him when they selected him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He finished the exhibition season with eight catches for 84 yards.
“He made a bunch of good plays (Friday),” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said of Latu following the 24-24 tie against the Las Vegas Raiders in the preseason finale for both teams.
“I thought he blocked well. He’s been doing better and better each week in practice. It’s been nice to string together here a training camp where he stayed healthy. I think it’s showing out there in the games.”
Latu had a difficult first summer with the 49ers a year ago. He often looked unsure of himself. He had an abundance of dropped passes, and his confidence appeared to plummet.
When he sustained a knee injury in the final preseason game, Latu was placed on season-ending injured reserve.
He underwent surgery and was finally cleared to practice when the 49ers opened training camp this summer.
Understandably, Latu got off to a slow start.
But as the weeks passed, Latu caught more passes in practices and worked his way into position for serious consideration for a spot on the 49ers’ 53-man roster.
The 49ers typically keep four tight ends on their regular-season roster. Kittle, Brayden Willis and Eric Saubert look to be on solid ground for three spots. Latu, Logan Thomas, Jake Tonges and undrafted rookie Mason Pline likely are vying for the fourth spot.
All NFL teams are required to trim their 90-man rosters to the regular-season limit of 53 players by Tuesday, 1 p.m.
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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/latu-coming-strong-competition-final-181445547.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-08-25 18:14:45
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