49ers: Garrett Celek’s TD celebrations need some work

Garrett Celek caught two touchdown passes in less than 13 minutes Sunday, which is the type of feat typically performed by NFL tight ends such as New England’s Rob Gronkowski.

Celek, however, isn’t a scoring machine and his end-zone inexperience showed after his first second-quarter touchdown in the 49ers’ 17-16 win over the Falcons.

Celek’s touchdowns — the second and third of his four-year career — came six days after the 49ers traded starting tight end Vernon Davis.

The deal opened the door a bit wider for Celek, who already was proving he could do more than block with his 6-foot-5, 252-pound frame.

Celek, 27, would like to follow the career path of his brother, Brent, 30, a tight end who has 351 catches in his nine-year career with the Eagles.

For perspective, Celek had 22 catches in his previous seven seasons — and that includes his four-year, 14-reception career at Michigan State, where he was largely an extension of the offensive line.

Before this season, Celek had eight catches in 28 NFL games, and the lack of opportunities didn’t shock him.

When he arrived in Santa Clara as an undrafted free agent, he found he was both wanted and typecast after speaking with the then-offensive coordinator.

[...] McDonald hasn’t replicated the pass-catching prowess he showed at Rice, where he had 119 receptions and routinely lined up as wide receiver.

McDonald, who has developed into a strong blocker, has 19 receptions, no touchdowns and an abundance of dropped passes in his career.

Lined up in the left slot, Celek got open with a post route he began with a jab step that got rookie cornerback Jalen Collins to bite outside.