SOLOMON WRITES ON WR’S QUEST.
Steven Dunbar Jr., a rookie from Houston, is looking to hold on to his shot in the NFL
One receiver, two receivers, three receivers, four.
Five receivers, Steven the receiver, seven receivers, more.
The 11 receivers on the San Francisco 49ers roster lined up on a relatively comfortable morning — come on, low-80s in mid-August is decent for Houston — and waited to take turns in an assortment of drills.
All is equal when the group is separated, but the reps are harder to come by when it is a full-team session. For receivers at the bottom of a list that includes eight players who have two or fewer years of on-thefield NFL experience, any catch could matter. Every drop could matter even more.
Steven Dunbar Jr., an undrafted free agent from the University of Houston, had one of those late in Thursday’s workout with the Texans.
You could tell from his reaction that it meant more than a simple miscue.
“I felt bad because I knew that was probably the last one I would get on the day,” Dunbar said. “You have to take advantage of your opportunities. You can’t dwell on the mistakes, you have to grow from them and, more importantly, just make very few of them.”
The word from observers of the 49ers’ camp is that Dunbar has indeed made few mistakes, and he has put together enough good days that he should have a future in the NFL.
Making this year’s roster is going to be a challenge.
That is an unfamiliar territory for the majority of NFL rookies. Making the team has never been an issue. Most were stars in high school or college.
Dunbar helped Archbishop Rummel (Metairie, La.) to backto-back state titles, hauling in 12 catches for 263 yards in the 2013 and ’14 state championship games.
A shot at special teams
He played in every game as a freshman at UH, then started the next three years, finishing his Cougar career 10th on the all-time school chart for receptions and receiving yards.
As was the case in high school, Dunbar ended his college days in style, matching his career best with 10 catches for a career-high 197 yards against Fresno State in the Hawaii Bowl.
Eight months later, he was back in Houston at NRG Stadium, just hoping for a chance, where he can get one. Dunbar finds himself sharing a fourthstring spot on the preseason depth chart for a team that is likely to keep only six wideouts.
He didn’t get any snaps with the offense until the fourth quarter of Saturday’s preseason game against the Texans. San Francisco quarterbacks threw passes to 17 players, who each had at least one catch in the Texans’16-13 win. Dunbar wasn’t one of them.
“I think I gotta make my presence felt on special teams,” Dunbar said. “We have some good players at receiver, and I think I have the skill set that can contribute on offense, but I think my best shot at making the team is making a huge impact on special teams.”
Good returns from Pettis
The challenge there is Dunbar lacks the top-end speed needed to be a return man.
That is a serious plus for Dante Pettis, a fellow rookie who is listed as a third-team receiver. Pettis, whose father is Astros third-base coach Gary Pettis, scored an NCAA-record nine return touchdowns at Washington.
To make the team, Dunbar needs to turn his few reps, whether they come on cover units or offense, into memorable ones; do something special. Do what he did at UH.
At 6-3, 202 pounds, his size helped him win battles against smaller defensive backs. His better-than-average hands were often on display.
Learned how to adapt
Dunbar arrived at UH to play for Tony Levine, and played for Tom Herman and Major Applewhite.
Plus, he had four different wide receiver coaches. Instability in the Cougars’ coaching staffs has helped him better adjust to another group of coaches.
“I learned how to adapt and how to take different tools from each coach and adopt that into my game,” Dunbar said. “It prepared my how to deal with adversity. It was a blessing to come to UH. I loved everything about it.”
Dunbar wowed UH fans over the last few years, with onehanded grabs, snatches on jump balls just out of the reach of defensive backs and fingertip snares across the middle.
He can do that at the next level. Most likely he’ll have to start on the practice squad. Don’t be surprised if you hear about him making a difference a year or two.
Dunbar isn’t letting the long odds deter him.
“It can be stressful, but you have to realize a lot of it is out of your control, and you have to worry about what you can control,” he said.
With so much competition, Dunbar doesn’t control much. Every catch, and drop, matters.