Young wideouts have struggled to grasp the Niners offense, but rookie first-round pick Ricky Pearsall seems up to the task.
The San Francisco 49ers are hopeful that rookie first-round pick Ricky Pearsall can immediately make an impact in their wide receiver room. Of course, it’s no secret that young wideouts have consistently had some early growing pains under head coach Kyle Shanahan. A former receiver himself, Shanahan has high expectations for his wide receivers and often expects perfection, something unsurprisingly difficult for more inexperienced players. Pearsall was asked about how he has approached learning Shanahan’s system during media availability earlier this week.
“I think I took big strides since I’ve got here,” Pearsall said. “In the beginning, yes. It was a little difficult coming into an offense like this that’s very complex. There’s a lot to it, and trying to learn it all in one day is impossible. So, i just kind of told myself that over and over again. Each day how I can get better and improve at knowing the playbook and I think I’ve made big strides to this point.”
The 31st overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Florida, Pearsall has had an up-and-down start to his first preseason. Pearsall was sidelined with an injury from training and has reportedly struggled to generate separation early in camp. However, he has also received rave reviews from coaches for his intangibles and quick learning. Pearsall credited quarterback Brock Purdy for helping him along in his transition.
“Obviously he’s one of the top quarterbacks in the league right now,” he said. “Going into a system with a quarterback like that it’s a great blessing for myself. It’s made everything easier… His locker is actually right next to mine so I get to talk to him each and every day. Going up to him and just having a normal conversation, like ‘What can I get better at?’ and just asking him questions about the playbook.”He’
