The San Francisco 49ers had a number of intriguing options available in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night but decided to add University of Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall Jr. at pick 31 overall, bypassing players such as cornerbacks Cooper DeJean of Iowa and Kool-Aid McKinstry of Alabama and defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton of Illinois.
What should fans know about Pearsall and where he fits in with the 49ers? And does it mean anything regarding the future of Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel? Let's take a look.
What the 49ers like about Pearsall, and what general manager John Lynch said about the wide receiver situation
The 49ers appear to be excited about the overall package that Pearsall brings to the table, particularly his athleticism, toughness, and enthusiasm for the game. Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke about Pearsall to KNBR radio after their selection, saying he fit in well with what Shanahan, a former receiver himself, looks for in the players at the position.
"I think there's a group of traits... The kid can run," Lynch said. "He ran a 4.43. We always talk about the ability to cut outside his frame. He's very, very adept at that. The vertical helps him in his leaping ability. He's tough. He takes some hits, and he gets up right away, which I really appreciate. When we drafted him, he didn't say much, but what he said to me was, 'Coach, you're getting a workhorse.' That's what he looks like on tape, so that's pretty cool."
Shanahan also pointed out that Pearsall can help fill a need on special teams created by the free agency departure of return specialist Ray-Ray McCloud.
"He can do a little bit of everything," Shanahan said. "There's nothing he can't do. He can go deep, he can separate underneath. He's got punt return ability, which I think especially not having Ray-Ray is huge for us right now. I think he's going to do whatever we need him to do, and I think we've got a big group of receivers who can do a lot of other stuff too."
The addition of Pearsall won't exactly put an end to speculation regarding the futures of 49ers receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, both of whom were reported to be trade targets heading into the draft. But Lynch said the team is continuing to move toward a contract extension for Aiyuk, who is in the final year of his rookie deal, and that he views Pearsall as simply another quality addition to an already strong receiver room that includes Aiyuk, Samuel, and Jauan Jennings, who signed a one-year restricted free agent tender with the 49ers in March.
"There's a lot of positive talk," Lynch said of Aiyuk. "We're having a lot of good discussions -- working, efforting towards trying to get something done. We're excited to continue on that. Deebo's a fantastic player. Jauan's a fantastic player. We've got Chris Conley (who's) a guy that came on. It goes on and on of the guys that we're excited (about). We just think you keep adding good football players and it's going to serve your team well, and that's what we know we did today."
Mr. Everything
Pearsall (6-1, 189, 24 years old in September) has had a prolific football career as he was a top 150 national recruit at Corona Del Sol High School in Chandler, Arizona, where he set a state record for receiving yards in a single game (342 yards). He played three seasons at Arizona State, where he caught passes from future Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels, then he transferred to Florida, where he caught 65 passes for 965 yards and six total touchdowns (four receiving, two rushing) as senior in 2023.
But football isn't the only thing Pearsall excels at, according to Lynch. Former Arizona State head coach Herman Edwards spoke at length with the 49ers about Pearsall and raved about the receiver's overall athletic ability.
"One thing Herm said, 'You've got to see this guy on a basketball court. He can dunk every which way,'" Lynch said. "His vert would tell you that. We've got a guy in our building who was down at A-State. He said he's the guy who's great at everything. Any sport they go play -- they go play softball as a football team, and he's the guy hitting them out of the park. He's just good at everything. It's kind of what he looks like as he plays. He's a really good athlete and really good football player."
The catch
Pearsall had one of the best catches of the 2023 college football season, which was also perhaps the best catch on any of the highlight films of this year's draft prospects.
The catch took place in a game against Charlotte when Pearsall jumped high in the air to make a one-handed grab, then held onto the football after taking a collision from two defenders. Watch below:
"I don't know what got into me," Pearsall said of the catch during an interview with Good Morning Football on the NFL Network. "I just knew the ball was in the air and I had to go get it. When the ball was lofted, I was like, 'Go up and make a legendary play.'"
Pre-draft riser
Pearsall was a standout during the pre-draft process, shining during both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine. Pearsall was clocked at 4.41 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the Combine with a 42-inch vertical jump, a 6.64-second 3-Cone Drill, and a 4.05-second 20-yard Shuttle time.
Pearsall was the No. 9-rated receiver on ESPN.com's board and the No. 35-rated player overall.
"Pearsall makes adjusting to passes thrown outside his frame look easy, and his one-handed snatch against Charlotte was one of the most impressive catches in 2023," wrote Steve Muench of EPSN. "His speed makes him a threat after the catch, as a runner and in the return game. He can stretch the field and shows the ability to make spectacular over-the-shoulder grabs. Pearsall has a good feel for how to create leverage getting off the line, is the only receiver to run a sub-6.7 three-cone at the combine this year and is a tough matchup when he gets a two-way go working out of the slot."
Built for this
Pearsall's father, Ricky Sr., was a record-setting receiver at Northern Arizona and got his son into football at age 3. According to an article in The Athletic, Pearsall's father used Skittles candy to help teach him how to catch the football. Pearsall would be rewarded with Skittles if he caught the ball with his hands but would have them taken from him if he caught it with his chest. Pearsall also started running cone drills at age 5.
Needless to say, all of that paid off in the end.
"I trust everything he's saying because he's been there, done that," Pearsall told The Athletic. "He has that experience so when he's hard on me I trust him. I look at him as more than a father. I look at him as a coach as well."