Expectations are already rising for 49ers' first-round pick Ricky Pearsall after promising end to his rollercoaster rookie season
It's fair to say Ricky Pearsall did not have a conventional rookie season. After incredibly surviving being shot through the chest in August, the San Francisco 49ers' first-round pick missed the first six games of the season after being placed on the non-football injury list. Having showed signs of the promise that led the 49ers […]
It's fair to say Ricky Pearsall did not have a conventional rookie season.
After incredibly surviving being shot through the chest in August, the San Francisco 49ers' first-round pick missed the first six games of the season after being placed on the non-football injury list.
Having showed signs of the promise that led the 49ers to draft him 31st overall following his debut in the Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Pearsall endured a string of three games in which he did not have a reception, with that run immediately followed by two games that saw him record only one catch.
But Pearsall finished the season very strongly, the former Florida wideout exploding for 141 yards and a touchdown in the penultimate game of the season against the Detroit Lions before finding the endzone again in the finale with the Arizona Cardinals.
The route-running craft that helped convince the Niners to take Pearsall so high was apparent in those final two games, and expectations are already high for what will hopefully be his first full year in the league in 2025.
Indeed, Pearsall was named as the 49ers' early breakout candidate for 2025 by Pro Football Focus.
PFF's Bradley Locker wrote of Pearsall:
Pearsall endured about as arduous of a first season as possible but still offered solid results, turning in a 64.1 PFF receiving grade with only a 3.1% drop rate. The former Florida product was even stronger during his final two years of college, posting an 82.6 PFF receiving grade and 2.19 yards per route run. In light of the fact that the 49ers may trade Deebo Samuel and that Brandon Aiyuk is still returning from a severe knee injury, Pearsall will presumably shoulder more on his plate in 2025.
John Lynch has already dismissed the idea that Samuel will be traded, but the uncertainty around when Aiyuk will return, and his potential condition when he does so, is a big factor in a possible breakout year for Pearsall.
Pearsall is not quite the same level of separation artist as Aiyuk, who has blossomed into a player adept at getting open at all three levels. He also needs to improve at beating physical press coverage, with his struggles in that regard limiting his upside in the X receiver role Aiyuk has regularly played for the 49ers.
But Pearsall is the closest thing the 49ers have to Aiyuk in terms of a player who can win with his route-running consistently. If Aiyuk is not available to start the season, Pearsall has already developed enough of a rapport with Purdy to hit the ground running and set the stage for a breakout season in his absence.
49ers’ contract talks with Brock Purdy could lead to tough decisions on three players signed just last year
They could use some extra wiggle room.
