Tag: ricky perasall

49ers 1st-round pick scores impressive 1st-career touchdown

Ricky Pearsall!!!!

Welcome to the NFL, Ricky Pearsall.

The 49ers’ No. 31 overall pick from this year’s draft didn’t make it onto the field until Week 7 after missing time because of a gunshot wound he suffered the week before the season began.

His first couple of games went okay with seven catches and 59 receiving yards. Then he stepped onto the field in his third game and immediately made a huge impact.

Pearsall caught a deep crosser from quarterback Brock Purdy, evaded a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back, and raced 46 yards for his first-career touchdown.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the play was the speed Pearsall showed off to find paydirt:

The 49ers need to get more out of their first-round pick after losing WR Brandon Aiyuk for the season. WRs Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings are active Sunday, but both are battling injuries. Pearsall stepping up after the Bye could be a significant addition for the 49ers after a relatively quiet trade deadline for them.

Pearsall’s touchdown capped a six-play, 66-yard touchdown drive that put the 49ers ahead 7-0 on the road in a huge game for the NFC playoff picture.

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49ers injury updates: 4 begin training camp on injured lists

49ers injury updates from John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan’s opening press conference:

49ers veterans on Tuesday reported to training camp with no expected holdouts, but they will have four players on injured lists to open camp.

Both linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga are going to start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list after suffering major injuries last season.

Hufanga tore his ACL in Week 11 and is expected to return at some point during camp. His readiness for the season opener is still in question.

Greenlaw was hopeful to return for the season opener, but general manager John Lynch said during the offseason that he was more likely to begin the regular season on the PUP list after tearing his Achilles in the Super Bowl.

Third-year defensive end Drake Jackson is still recovering from offseason surgery and will also start the year on the PUP list.

Rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is dealing with a hamstring injury that has him on the Non-Football Injury list to start the year. John Lynch on Tuesday in a press conference didn’t sound overly concerned and indicated Pearsall would be worked back in during the second portion of camp after the initial four-day ramp up period.

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Saints miss out on Taliese Fuaga, Kool-Aid McKinstry in too-soon 2024 re-draft

It’s too soon for a do-over, but the Saints missed out on both Taliese Fuaga and Kool-Aid McKinstry in this re-draft. That goes to show they made some great picks:

You know the New Orleans Saints made some great picks when they’re missing out on both of their top two selections in a way-too-soon 2024 re-draft. Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy turned back the clock and redid the first 32 picks of this year’s draft with the benefit of hindsight. And the Saints missed out.

Both Taliese Fuaga (their first-round choice at No. 14) and Kool-Aid McKinstry (their second rounder, at No. 41) were picked by other teams before the Saints had a chance to get them. The New York Jets selected Fuaga instead of Penn State left tackle Olu Fashanu a couple of slots ahead of New Orleans, which Popejoy justified by writing: “Fuaga is a more pro-ready offensive tackle and his play style matches the Jets better than Olu Fashanu.”

As luck would have it, the Saints got Fashanu themselves. Their plan all along was to move Trevor Penning from left to right tackle, so Fashanu could have made more sense than Fuaga if the goal was for him to play on the left side — his college position, whereas Fuaga is a career right tackle now learning to protect his quarterback’s blind side. Still, Fashanu has room to grow as a pro. Of this choice, Popejoy wrote that “The Saints miss out on Fuaga and instead go with Olu Fashanu who needs to return to his 2022 form to be an impact player in the NFL.”

But what about McKinstry? He fell out of the first round in April, but not in Popejoy’s do-over. Popejoy had the San Francisco 49ers selecting McKinstry at No. 31 instead of Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall. He justified that decision by writing “Ricky Pearsall is an interesting prospect but risky, meanwhile cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry is polished and experienced.” So it’s clear the Saints got a steal in the second round, even if they traded a few late-round picks to move up and get McKinstry. We can’t speak for those other teams, but the Saints have to feel pleased with the early returns from their 2024 draft picks.

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