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Dante Pettis knew 49ers liked him, but he was surprised to be drafted that high

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The 49ers were slated to make a selection at No. 59 overall in last week's NFL Draft.

But they traded up to No. 44 to take wide receiver/punt returner Dante Pettis.

What was it like getting the phone call?

"It was incredible. I thought I was gonna go a little bit later, so I wasn't really expecting that phone call," Pettis said on KNBR 680. "I saw the area code and everything and I was like, 'no way this is happening right now.' It was insane."

The 49ers hostd Pettis on a visit a couple of weeks before the draft, and clearly came away impressed.

Pettis racked up an NCAA-record nine punt returns for touchdowns at Washington, including four as a senior.

"I'm a play-maker. I think that I have the capability to change the momentum of a game," Pettis said. "I knew that they (the 49ers) liked me, but everything that I had been hearing was third-round stuff. I wasn't really expecting this early."

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Pettis, who grew up in Southern California, is happy to be staying in the pacific time zone.

"It's awesome. I'm about an hour plane ride from home. It will be easy for my family to get to the games. My dad's actually from Oakland ... it's pretty cool to stay on the West Coast."

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