49ers' draft pick on roster bubble succeeds where he failed last year with strong first padded practice
Cameron Latu did not play a regular-season snap for the San Francisco 49ers as a rookie because of a knee injury and, after missing both OTAs and minicamp following surgery on that issue, entered training camp firmly on the roster bubble. A third-round pick out of Alabama last year, the tight end's chances of sticking […]
Cameron Latu did not play a regular-season snap for the San Francisco 49ers as a rookie because of a knee injury and, after missing both OTAs and minicamp following surgery on that issue, entered training camp firmly on the roster bubble.
A third-round pick out of Alabama last year, the tight end's chances of sticking on the 53 for his second season were hit by the Niners electing to sign two veterans this offseason, bringing in Eric Saubert and Logan Thomas to deals featuring guaranteed money.
The 49ers have carried four tight ends in years gone by, meaning Latu's hopes of sticking around and serving as one of the backups to George Kittle likely rest on that being the case this year and him being able to beat out fellow 2023 draft pick Brayden Willis, who played sparingly as a rookie.
Monday's first padded practice saw him boost his hopes of doing just that.
Latu had a one-handed grab in a route on air, but he then more importantly had receptions from both Brock Purdy and Brandon Allen during the team period.
The sure-handedness he displayed was in stark contrast to his efforts in camp last year, with Latu's practices defined by drops before the knee injury brought his season to an end before it had even started.
And Latu received due credit from head coach Kyle Shanahan for the work he has put in during the offseason to get to a point where he can make a more positive impact in practice.
"That was frustrating for him," Shanahan said of Latu's experience last year.
"It's tough when you have a big injury like he did. For him to have his fifth practice today, to get the pads on and make some catches, I was happy for him."
Of course, Latu still has a long way to go to prove he is worthy of a roster spot, but making positive steps early in camp will do his cause no harm at all. For the sake of the long-term health of the 49ers' tight end room, it is best that he continues to take them.
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