Niners Nation
The 49ers can attack you in multiple ways with their versatility
The San Francisco 49ers have weapons as versatile as any in the NFL. Christian McCaffrey doubles as a wide receiver and running back. George Kittle is a matchup nightmare and an advantage in the run game as a blocker. Even with the loss of Deebo Samuel, the 49ers have an array of weapons heading into 2025.
The biggest question is Brandon Aiyuk’s recovery, but Jauan Jennings is off his breakout campaign in 2024, and the expectations are high for former first-round pick Ricky Pearsall. Jacob Cowing has had a great start to the offseason with a chance for an expanded role, given Aiyuk’s uncertainty and the possibility of Demarcus Robinson missing games with a suspension.
Coming into the 2025 season, the 49ers have a top-five pass-catching unit, according to Trevor Sikemma of PFF.
The 49ers’ receiving corps is an unknown, given Brandon Aiyuk‘s recovery from ACL and MCL tears and Christian McCaffrey‘s limited playing time last season while dealing with PCL and Achilles injuries. But the fact of the matter is, McCaffrey has earned 84.0-plus PFF receiving grades in six of his eight seasons, including the last one in which he was fully healthy (2023), and Aiyuk was one of the highest-graded receivers in the league (91.7) in 2023.
If they are healthy and can feature alongside George Kittle, who ranked second in PFF receiving grade (92.6) among tight ends last season, as well as Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall, the group deserves the benefit of the doubt, even without Deebo Samuel.
Pearsall is the key to unlocking the wide receiver room ceiling and potential. After finishing with 31 receptions, 400 yards, and three touchdowns, the 49ers are banking on the player who flashed down the stretch to be a consistent threat for Brock Purdy and the 49ers' offense.
Extrapolating Pearsall’s final three weeks over a 17-game season could lead to some eye-popping numbers. Of Pearsall’s 400 yards, 247 came in the final three weeks on 18 catches with two touchdowns, including a Week 18 performance with Josh Dobbs as quarterback.
If Pearsall’s breakout three-game stretch continues for 17 games, the 2025 numbers would be 102 receptions, 1,400 yards, and 11 touchdowns. While that’s tough to imagine, it is feasible that Pearsall contributes with big numbers, as long as he remains healthy.
