Pearsall impressing 49ers as Aiyuk trade saga takes big turn

SANTA CLARA — The 49ers might need to get more production from their top 2024 draft pick than originally planned. So far, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has given the 49ers reason to believe he might be capable of filling a more prominent role as a rookie. "Ricky's been great," said Klay Kubiak, the 49ers' offensive passing game specialist. "I've been impressed with how much he's retained mentally and how he's kept up with the playbook. He's a really, really smart player. He's starting to get a feel for it again with his route-running." Pearsall sustained a hamstring injury while working out in preparation for training camp, and he was cleared off the non-football injury list after missing four days of practices. The 49ers' wide receiver situation is unsettled as they enter their third week of practices, with Brandon Aiyuk's uncertain status. The All-Pro has yet to practice this summer while his contract situation remains unresolved. Aiyuk is under contract to the 49ers this season with a guaranteed salary of $14.124 million. After a failure to reach a long-term contract agreement with San Francisco throughout the offseason, the 26-year-old requested a trade a week before the...