Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area observed both of the San Francisco 49ers' minicamp practices this week and got a good look at wide receiver Ricky Pearsall. The rookie appears to be acclimating well to his new team and the NFL, leaving the 49ers insider impressed.
The 49ers boast a talented wide receiver room, including Brandon Aiyuk (assuming he reports to the team soon), Deebo Samuel, and the recently extended fan favorite, Jauan Jennings. Adding Pearsall with the No. 31 overall draft pick only boosts the potential productivity of this group.
"What Pearsall brings to the table is he's more like Aiyuk than he is like Samuel," Maiocco said this week on the "49ers Talk" podcast. "He's a good route runner, good hands, he can beat man coverage, all those things that the 49ers have in Brandon Aiyuk. I did notice on the practice field Tuesday, Ricky Pearsall just looks the part."
Maiocco's co-host, Jennifer Lee Chan, added, "He just looks smooth coming out of his breaks, he ends up where he's supposed to be in regards to each play. Brock Purdy has been finding him. So that means his rhythm is consistent to where he's supposed to be."
With Aiyuk holding out for a contract extension, Pearsall has taken advantage of the additional practice reps, building chemistry with his new quarterback.
"It's been fun to watch both of them," head coach Kyle Shanahan said this week. "I know Brock doesn't always get to watch how the route gets there, but he knows when guys end up in the right spot and they catch it. That's where quarterbacks get comfortable, and I think he can feel that with Ricky right away."
Pearsall appears to be fitting in well with his new teammates. Maiocco noted that after one play where Purdy hit Pearsall on a 30-yard pass, tight end George Kittle, who isn't practicing as he recovers from offseason surgery, went out of his way to congratulate the first-year wideout. Samuel also congratulated Pearsall with a special celebratory handshake.
Maiocco commented, "[It's a little thing], but I just kind of felt like, oh, for a rookie, he seems to be really fitting in."
This week, when asked how Pearsall is fitting into the offense, Samuel responded, "Been really impressed. Just going back and watching Ricky, he's very fluid in and out of routes, and he's got really good hands."
Shanahan echoed Samuel's remarks, stating, "He's doing a good job. He's got really good hands, so he's rarely going to have a drop. We're getting him a lot of reps. He's getting a lot of different routes, trying all the positions, and we've been really impressed with how he started off."
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