Niners Nation
The 49ers surprised many, taking a receiver with their first-round pick.
The San Francisco 49ers shocked the world when they selected Florida Gators receiver Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Pearsall, a 6’1, 190-pound receiver who put up 65 catches and 965 yards as a fifth-year senior in 2023, was the seventh and final wideout selected on Thursday night.
A former teammate of Brandon Aiyuk as a freshman at Arizona State, Pearsall now reunites with the star wideout, becoming the team’s first selection in the top round since 2021.
What kind of player is Pearsall and what does this selection mean for the 49ers?
Pearsall wowed at the 2024 NFL Combine in February, running a 4.41 40-yard dash, while recording a 42’’ vertical, 10’9’’ broad jump, 6.64 three-cone, and 4.05 20-yard shuttle. The short form: he’s an athlete.
On tape, Pearsall shined as a route runner, working well out of the slot, where he saw most of his opportunities, as he attacked defenders’ leverage before making his moves, while finding open space well in zones.
However, Pearsall’s initial burst (1.58 10-yard split) isn’t as fast as his 40-yard time may indicate, and he can be a little stiff coming out of breaks, although he does have good cuts as a route-runner.
Overall, Pearsall fits the 49ers’ mold of a receiver; he runs routes well, finds the open space against zones, is a good accelerator with the ball in his hands, is best when in motion with a running start, and can be a willing run blocker.
Additionally, the Florida product is an elite contested catcher, as his catch radius is huge, which is seen in his highlight reel, even though he has 30 7/8‘’ arms and 9 1/4‘’ hands.
But, the main detractor when it comes to his abilities is the struggles against press coverage. Pearsall isn’t a great separator when it comes to press, as defenders are able to slow him down by being physical, limiting his route-running abilities.
That was especially seen at the Senior Bowl against fellow first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell, and could be a worry in the NFL.
Pearsall did see over 50 percent of his reps and production come in the slot against Florida, which could be his best role at the next level as a WR2/WR, but he has the flexibility to play on the outside as well.
Moreover, the 23-year-old has experience as a returner, which general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan shared as another factor in selecting the wideout.
Ultimately, I think Pearsall is a really good player and especially fits the 49ers, but his struggles against press concern me, especially after we saw Deebo Samuel get mitigated against man coverage in the Super Bowl, which was a key in the loss.
Ahead of the draft, I graded him as an early third-round selection, which equated to a mid-late 50s/early 60s player on my Big Board, but the fit could...
