In a report on opinions from various NFL executives, the San Francisco 49ers received a lot of praise from league decision-makers for their surprising decision to draft Florida star Ricky Pearsall in Round 1 of April’s draft.
As has been the case for the team in recent years, the 49ers front office entered the 2024 NFL Draft having to add the missing ingredients to a recipe that is very close to being worthy of a Super Bowl title. However, there was also a lot of speculation about selecting a potential replacement for either Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk.
The belief around the league is that one of them could be traded before training, with Samuel being the odds-on favorite. But few expected the organization to use their first pick in April on that possible replacement. On draft night, the consensus from experts was that the team reached a bit with Ricky Pearsall, but he was a very talented player who should be a good fit in San Francisco.
Ricky Pearsall seen around NFL as a perfect fit for the San Francisco 49ers
Well, that opinion seems to be shared by several NFL executives as well. On Thursday, The Athletic published various thoughts from league execs about several teams’ approach to the NFL Draft, and there were a lot of positive comments on Pearsall.
“We loved that receiver,” one exec said. “The first round is probably a little high for him, but if they want the fifth-year option with him, fine.”
“He is going to be a great piece for [head coach Kyle Shanahan] because this guy can double up at the top of the break and not lose any speed in the speed turn,” another exec claimed. “And it covers San Francisco if they move Aiyuk or Deebo.”
There is a possibility that the 49ers hold on to both Aiyuk and Samuel, which could lead to Pearsall making a huge impact in his rookie season as a slot receiver in 2024.
