The 2023 season went about as poorly as it could have possibly gone for rookie tight end Cameron Latu.
Latu, a third-round pick, had a rough first training camp that included dropped passes and an overall inability to make any progress climbing the depth chart. Then he got hurt and knee surgery ended his season before final cuts were made.
With an overhauled tight end room, Latu in his second season has a chance to take on a role with real playing time. Unfortunately for the former third-round pick his second camp hasn’t gotten off to a great start either.
ESPN’s Nick Wagoner on Twitter detailed a disastrous stretch of plays for Latu to close out Friday’s practice:
In a three play stretch during move the ball with QB Josh Dobbs, Latu made a catch for a decent gain on one play. On the next, he appeared to have trouble knowing where to lineup and/or motion which led to a false start on Zakelj and then it snowballed into Latu making another catch but fumbling on a hit from LB Tatum Bethune that became a scoop and score for CB Chase Lucas on the final play of practice.
Ouch!
Ball security was an issue for Latu last season. Seeing that carry over isn’t a great sign.
His lack of knowledge of the offense is a direct result of how his rookie season went. All practice reps are extremely valuable for first-year players and after training camp he was sidelined for the rest of the year. Latu never had a chance to take strides after some early setbacks, and he’s paying the price now trying to dig himself out of an already sizable hole.
There’s still time for Latu to make a good impression. The 49ers’ tight end depth isn’t so stellar that he can’t make headway in the hunt for a roster spot. For now he’s on the outside looking in, and practices like Friday won’t help his case.
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