Most are “meh” on Ricky Pearsall
On Thursday night, we wanted your thoughts on the San Francisco 49ers’ decision to draft Ricky Pearsall, and the results are in. While you aren’t completely disappointed, most of you aren’t ecstatic about the pick either.
Here are the results from our DraftKings Sportsbook survey:
Most have given the Pearsall pick a C grade. It seems like many of us (myself included) had a bit of a WTH moment when the name was called. Once it sunk in for me overnight, I, myself, started to like the pick a bit more.
Now that Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel remain with the squad as of this writing, this pick feels like an embarrassment of riches. If you’ve been a fan long enough, you remember the days when the 49ers were happy with just one decent pass catcher. Now they have four, with two being the best in the league. We’ve come a long way from Jeremy Kerley as a top option.
Most of the criticism of the pick comes from those wanting the 49ers to address a more pressing need like offensive line. The 49ers did get Kansas offensive lineman Dominick Puni with their third-round pick, but many would have preferred the team didn’t wait that long. There’s also the need for a cornerback, but the 49ers snagged one in the second round with Renardo Green.
When you think about it, this is a position of need based on contracts coming up. While the 49ers will be able to keep this assortment of artillery for quarterback Brock Purdy, Purdy himself will want to get paid, and some decisions will need to be made. Many see Pearsall as a possible heir to Deebo Samuel, and if you have that, you will want someone experienced to step in the role.
It’s also important to note how different the team is without Deebo Samuel. We saw that in the NFC Divisional when Jauan Jennings came in to run a Samuel play and was promptly flattened at the line of scrimmage. With Pearsall, we see a possible understudy to Samuel, who can also come in in case of another disaster to hold down the fort, and the 49ers don’t have to scramble with the game plan.
Finally, the 49ers are progressing to a more pass-happy offense with Brock Purdy. They couldn’t throw the final dart last year because Purdy’s injury was a question mark. Now that he’s out doing Toyota commercials and saving people from coyotes rather than rehabbing, it’s safe to say the Purdy offense is going to be full steam ahead. With that in mind, it makes the wide receiver a pressing need.
There’s also something that hasn’t been brought up near enough (and escaped even me): the new NFL kickoff rules are going to have more returns. Pearsall may be just the guy the 49ers can utilize with these new kickoff rules. It’s far too risky to put Samuel into that and ask him to turn around and run fly sweeps.
Here are some comments after the pick below. Have you changed your stance after having some time to let it sink in? How do you like Pearsall?
About the Author: Insidethe49
