The San Francisco 49ers turning in wide receiver Ricky Pearsall's name while on the clock with the No. 31 overall pick took many people by surprise. As the selection sinks in, fans are getting more excited about the potential of adding a sticky-handed receiver like Pearsall to the already talented lineup.
"He just plays the position real well," head coach Kyle Shanahan said of his new offensive weapon. "I mean, whether he was outside, inside, either receiver, all three of the positions, he can separate down the field, he can separate underneath. He's got really good hands, extremely smart, very well developed.
"You can tell he is—I guess I'd call it a gym rat or something—because you can just see he's worked on his routes, put in a lot of hours because you can see it on tape, and there's really nothing he can't do."
During an appearance on Bay Area radio station 95.7 The Game's "The Morning Roast" show, Pearsall was asked to reveal one of his game's most underrated elements.
"Just my route running understanding," Pearsall responded. "I think I really understand where to be at. I'm very consistent, disciplined in the spots that I'm at. The quarterback will never be guessing where I'm at. It's gonna be a consistent spot.
"And then just my fluidity in the route running. Nothing throws me off. Obviously, especially in defenses now, there's a lot of disguise coverages and moving pieces. So being able to run with your routes with your eyes up, and seeing moving pieces, and understand on the go why everything's happening so fast, I think I do a good job of that.
"And then, just how detailed I am in my route running, and the quality of it, and how serious I take this on and off the field. So I think that's what separates me."
Quarterback Brock Purdy has a lot of mouths to feed on offense. The 49ers already had wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. Both are expected to remain on the roster for the upcoming season. There are also other playmakers like running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle.
How does Pearsall envision himself within an offense overflowing with talent?
"I think my versatility is going to help me," Pearsall said. "I think being able to play different positions and move me around is going to help me, give me different opportunities. And obviously, coach Shanahan likes to put a lot of guys in motions across the field, create matchups, create different looks. So, I feel like I'll be a guy that can do that."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Pearsall below.