49ers' Ricky Pearsall opens up on 'natural' chemistry with Brock Purdy

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall turned heads against the Las Vegas Raiders, shining in what will likely be his only drive of the preseason. The second-year wideout hauled in three passes from quarterback Brock Purdy for 42 yards, helping march the offense into field goal range.

The Purdy-to-Pearsall connection has been one of the most consistent storylines throughout training camp. Pearsall himself admitted that the past three weeks of practice may have been his strongest stretch since entering the NFL.

"It's been a pretty strong three-week stretch," Pearsall said after Thursday's practice. "I think a lot of the work is paying off, and I'm getting more comfortable with the offense, and I think it's showing."

That growth will be put to the test in Week 1 when the 49ers face the Seattle Seahawks. While Pearsall and Purdy have worked hard this offseason to develop chemistry, the wide receiver admitted the process didn't click right away. Instead, it evolved naturally over time.

"I think it takes a long time," Pearsall explained. "It's just about the time that you put into it, the work that you put into it. And I think it comes down to your intentions. It's how intentional you are with the work. And I think, when you've got two guys that are very intentional with their work, it just makes it a lot easier, and we're more efficient with our work.

"Brock, the last time he talked to you guys, saying it was natural, and I fully agree with him. I think that we don't really need to talk about it too much no more, because it's natural. It's beginning to feel that way.

"And I'm excited to continue to work with him and keep developing that timing, because I think you can never get complacent. You can never be perfect, and we're always trying to chase that."

When asked if he could pinpoint the exact moment things began to click with Purdy, Pearsall emphasized that the work is ongoing.

"I don't think there was a point in time where we were like, 'Oh, we got it now,'" Pearsall said. "We still don't even think that way right now. I think we're still like, 'Okay, every single day, we cannot be complacent whatsoever.'

"We've got to go to work no matter what it is, or how we feel, or if we think that we're having a good day because maybe, that next day, we don't have such a good day, and we're like, 'Oh, crap, what happened?' Well, what happened was we didn't have that same mindset.

"So, I feel like when you always have that mindset of 'let's go to work and let's get this timing down,' or whatever it is with our playbook, then it's going to work out itself."

With the season opener fast approaching, Pearsall's emerging connection with Purdy could be a crucial piece in the 49ers' turnaround after a disappointing 2024 campaign.