The San Francisco 49ers were thinking about the future when they drafted wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft last offseason.
Of course, they didn’t expect their first-round pick to deal with injuries and a shooting that left him sidelined to begin the season, but San Francisco went into the year with Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Jauan Jennings as their top three receivers.
Well, much has changed heading into 2025. Aiyuk is on the Physically Unable to Perform list, Samuel is with the Washington Commanders, while Jennings may be the WR2 behind Pearsall to start the season.
Pearsall took a while to get going last year, catching six passes for 57 yards over a six-game stretch midseason, but really took off in Weeks 17 and 18, catching 14 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns. He’s built off that success in 2025, catching eight passes for 164 yards thus far, recording an impressive 20.5 yards per catch.
What has been the biggest factor in Pearsall’s development so far that has seen him take such a jump so quickly?
“[There’s been] a lot [from last season to this season],” head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Wednesday. “Mainly just from practicing. He didn’t get to practice last year really until he came back. He missed training camp with a shoulder and hamstring injury and then right when he came back he got shot.
“So, when he came back Week 4 or 5, whatever it was, not only was that first time him coming back, but it was kind of his first time practicing too. It’s a little bit like kind of what Jordan Watkins has been in, getting hurt real early in camp, and just coming back really last week or whatever it was. But we saw Ricky get so much better throughout the end of last year being out there, and he took it to the offseason. When guys are talented enough and made of the right stuff, it’s all they need to do is practice, and they get better.”
Those injuries initially seemed to plague Pearsall again this offseason, as he missed mandatory minicamp with another hamstring injury. But, he was good to go for training camp, prompting a sigh of relief from fans, and he has skyrocketed from there, recording over 100 yards in the season opener.
The extra practice time has definitely developed his rapport with quarterback Brock Purdy, but it has also helped him become more quarterback-proof, as we saw this past weekend when he caught four passes for 56 yards from Mac Jones, winning several routes.
Shanahan has seen the same thing, expecting a performance like he had in Week 2 before the game.
“Ricky’s our starting receiver. Ricky’s going to win his routes and do his thing and hopefully the plays and the protection and the coverages take him there,” Shanahan said before Week 2. “But you know, how a receiver plays and stuff I don’t think really depends on the quarterback. Some quarterbacks have an easier time getting the plays to the right spots and things like that, but Ricky’s in a good spot with whoever’s playing.”
Now, for Pearsall, it’s all about stacking good performances. He’s put together two solid ones and will have a big opportunity on Sunday against an Arizona Cardinals team that has been drastically impacted by injuries to their cornerbacks.
“Yeah, the offseason he had, obviously he had some setbacks, but the training camp he had really, and the way he was able to stack days, stack weeks, put together practice after practice and get better, it paid off on Sunday,” Shanahan said before Week 2. “I think I told Ricky, ‘you’re ready to play, you’re ready to go out there and make plays.’ And he did. Now, okay, what’s the next challenge? Get a new game plan, go against a new team and do it again, and that’s what he has to keep doing.”
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