OK well, he's not.. technically... in that he doesn't know who I am, but I occasionally have dreams where he says "Yo" to me when I pass him in the 49ers facilities. How awesome would that be? I know, right!? ... OK, I apologize for that. Actually, I don't, because I have plenty of time to backspace that and remove it before I publish this piece, but I'm not going to.
Dominique Zeigler is a player who I support almost religiously, and I'm getting that out of the way right now. As stated previously on my other 49ers Profiles, these are not meant to predict whether the player will make the roster next season, they're not meant to project where they fit into the offense, defense, or special teams--they're just meant to be a bit about a player. If background can be found, I'll post it, and if not, I'll talk a little bit about a player's skillset.
"Ziggy" has always been a great athlete, going through track and field as well as football in high school (Harker Heights High School in Killeen, TX), starting at quarterback and wide receiver positions. No, not at the same time, but I guess it's just because he didn't like to show off. He also recorded the nation's best long jump in his final prep season. Pretty impressive, even if it is high school.
Becuase Zeigler does indeed have hops. He definitely has the best jump ball of our receivers, that isn't to say he's the best at making the catch above a defensive back, but he definitely can get higher than them, and seems to have sure hands. Put on top of that the fact that he's our tallest wide receiver, and he seems to bring a dynamic the 49ers don't currently possess.
He had a quietly productive college career at Baylor University, earning All-Big 12 Honors. It was good enough bring him to the 49ers as an undrafted free agent. Zeigler has spent an accrued two full season on the 49ers practice squad and has been on their active roster, most notably being elevated in 2008. He's been a great receiver in the preseason, and is said to be a favorite of the coaches and players in the locker room.
Zeigler has route running, jumping, and very solid hands to his credit. One of the biggest endorsements he can get is from WR's coach Jerry Sullivan, as noted in this observation from CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco:
When I watch the receivers run through their individual period, I'm always struck by how highly coach Jerry Sullivan thinks of Zeigler. When a receiver does not run a route properly, Sullivan will often advise that player to watch how Zeigler does it.
That's a strong endorsement, and one has to believe Sullivan would like this to be the year he makes it.
Ziggy is also fairly active on the charity front, especially in San Francisco. Most notably he participated in the San Francisco Food Bank, preparing food for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program. I wish I had more on the guy beyond this, but he is a relative unknown player, I just think his physical gifts and actual receiving ability need to be taken note of, as I've found a lot of people aren't really aware of what he brings to the table.