Smelter looking to make strides with 49ers

DeAndre Smelter had only been left speechless in the presence of a celebrity once in his life.

And then the Macon native met Lionel Messi.

The 49ers wide receiver recently met the soccer legend before Argentina played Chile in the Copa America tournament at Levi’s Stadium. As it turns out, Smelter and two other young receivers — Dres Anderon and DiAndre Campbell — had to be prodded by veteran Torrey Smith before they approached the five-time world player of the year for a group picture.

Smelter said the experience was on par with meeting Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane.

“I never really got starstruck, but that was one two times in my life when it happened,” said Smelter, a former Tattnall Square and Georgia Tech standout. “You’re used to seeing someone on TV, but when you get to see someone in person, especially a legend, that can get to you.”

Smelter, of course, hopes to eventually achieve his own superstar status, but he acknowledges his NFL education remains in its early stages.

After sitting out last year because of a torn ACL he sustained at Georgia Tech, the 2015 fourth-round pick is, in effect, beginning his rookie season. And despite his inexperience, he has a legitimate chance to play meaningful snaps this season on team featuring a wide receivers corps filled with novices.

Of the 49ers’ 12 wideouts, 10 have fewer than 37 career receptions and are 25 or younger. The rebuilding 49ers haven’t re-signed Anquan Boldin, 35, their leader in receptions in receiving yards the past three seasons, which has made it clear they want a few youngsters to emerge.

“I think that’s everybody’s goal,” Smelter said. “Go out there and compete and get a lot of playing time.”

Smelter was competing for much of the offseason before sustaining a setback in early June. Smelter tweaked his hamstring during a practice, and the injury limited him during a three-day mandatory mini-camp that wrapped up the 49ers’ offseason program.

“I really felt myself making strides, but then a nick takes you back a little bit,” Smelter said. “It is frustrating, but that’s part of the game. You’ve got a deal with it.”

Smelter is among the most intriguing of the unproven wide receiver candidates.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 227 pounds, he has 11-inch hands, the largest possessed by a wide receiver at the combine in the past decade. And he used his massive mitts to seamlessly transition to football — a sport he hadn’t played since he was a junior in high school — after shoulder injuries derailed his baseball career at Georgia Tech in 2013.

Smelter, a 14th-round pick of the Minnesota Twins as a senior at Tattnall Square, averaged 18.9 yards on 56 catches in two seasons at Georgia Tech before tearing his ACL with two games remaining in his senior season.

His unique path means he has yet to master the minutia of his position.

“I still have a lot more to learn about being a wide receiver,” Smelter said. “I’m new to it. And this is a lot of different than it was in high school or college. So it’s about learning different techniques, footwork, body position. I’m still learning.”

On Thursday, about an hour after the 49ers’ final practice of the offseason program, Smelter left the facility to board a flight back home. He planned to spend a few days in Macon before heading to Georgia Tech, where he’ll work out before training camp begins in late July. Smelter will train with Baltimore Ravens tight end Darren Waller, his former college teammate.

“I felt like I made a lot of strides from the beginning (of the offseason) to where I am now,” Smelter said. “I can’t wait to get what I learned this spring and transfer it over to training camp.”

This story was originally published June 11, 2016 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Smelter looking to make strides with 49ers."