No one expected former Florida wide receiver [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] to make his first start in Week 8 of his rookie year in the NFL, for multiple reasons.
When Pearsall was drafted in the first round this spring, the expectation was for him to join the receivers rotation in San Francisco and start within a few weeks. Then tragedy struck as Pearsall was shot in the chest during an armed robbery that took place just weeks before the start of the regular season.
Miraculously, and thanks to the actions of first responders, Pearsall survived and was back in the gym within the week. Still, a recovery timeline from that kind of injury can vary by the week. Pearsall was activated on Oct. 19 and debuted a day later when the 49ers faced the Kansas City Chiefs.
He caught three passes for 21 yards on five targets and instantly became a factor in San Francisco’s offense thanks to several injuries to the position room.
Pearsall followed up his debut with his first start on Sunday against Dallas. Instead of lining up primarily in the slot, Pearsall played mostly outside against the Cowboys, reeling in all four targets for 38 yards and rushing for 39 more on an end-around. Welcome to the league, rook.
Although Pearsall failed to find the endzone, it’s safe to call this a breakout game for the first-year pass-catcher. He’ll continue to get opportunities with Brandon Aiyuk out for the year with a torn ACL.
“It just comes down to getting that trust of Brock (Purdy), so getting that connection going throughout practice,” Pearsall said after the game. “Obviously, having Brandon Aiyuk down, there’s going to be a few more opportunities for me to go out there and run some routes and get the ball in my hands.”
Pro Football Focus gave Pearsall a 68.3 overall grade on offense — good for No. 44 on the week and ahead of top receivers such as Ja’Marr Chase and A.J. Brown — and his 66.5 receiving grade ranks eighth among the 19 receivers who were drafted in 2024 and played this week.
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