When the San Francisco 49ers made Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall the 31st pick in this year’s NFL Draft, media and those following the annual event were stunned.
Pearsall wasn’t seen by many pundits to be anywhere near a first-round pick. He was viewed more as a Day 2 selection.
As all of that was playing out, San Francisco found itself listening to trade offers for star wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. It really didn’t seem to be much of a need for the defending NFC champions.
But in the days and weeks following the draft, San Francisco has been on the receiving end of a ton of praise for the outside-the-box selection. That includes several current NFL executives.
“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,” one unnamed executive said recently.
We can now put one name behind the praise. It comes in the form of respected Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta who also had his eye on Pearsall.
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“It was a great pick. I give those guys a lot of credit,” DeCosta said of the selection, via SB Nation. “I thought [Pearsall] was a guy that we might get that was a sleeper for us at some point. He really wasn’t a hot, hot commodity name. But that was another guy when you watched his game, he’s a super impressive player on tape.”
- Ricky Pearsall stats (2023): 65 receptions, 965 yards, 4 TD
A lot of the focus from those who love the 49ers’ pick of Pearsall has been on just how much of a great fit he is in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense. When looking at his Florida highlights, it really is hard to argue against.
Shanahan’s offense relies a great deal on providing big windows for quarterbacks to throw through. It also requires a ton of yards after the catch.
With an accurate Brock Purdy now under center for the long haul, Pearsall should be able to excel as a slot guy. Whether he was actually worth a first-round pick remains to be seen.