San Francisco 49ers 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall couldn’t have gotten off to a much rougher start to his NFL career.
The No. 31 overall pick suffered a hamstring injury that cost him the early part of training camp. Then once he returned he sustained a shoulder injury that cost him the entire preseason. When he finally got healthy with a week to go until the regular season, he was shot through the chest in an attempted robbery. The gunshot wound cost him the first six weeks of the regular season.
Pearsall had some good moments after returning in Week 7, but it took until Week 17 for the wide receiver out of Florida to break out and he did so in a big way.
On Monday Night Football against the Detroit Lions, Pearsall hauled in eight of his 10 targets for 141 yards and one touchdown. The eight catches and 10 targets both tied for team highs.
The 141 yards were the third-most ever in a game for a 49ers rookie, and the most since Jerry Rice had 241 yards in a Week 14 game back in 1985. The only other 49ers rookie with more receiving yards in a single game was Dave Parks, who had 146 in a game in 1964.
While the numbers are good, Pearsall’s versatility shined through Monday night. He showed off the ability to generate yards after the catch, won on a go route for a 40-yard catch, made a tough contested grab for a touchdown, and made a slick grab on third down where he used one hand to tip the ball to himself before tapping his toes on the sideline.
Pearsall’s first nine games had enough flashes that there was reason for optimism about his future in San Francisco. Monday night was the kind of performance that helps stamp him as a key cog in the 49ers’ receiving corps as they try and re-open their Super Bowl window.
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