San Francisco 49ers Rookie Fires Back Aggressively At Media Critics

When the San Francisco 49ers chose to draft Florida Gators standout wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, they were met with a lot of criticism. Many media analysts and fans thought that the 49ers reached with the pick and drafted him too early.

Despite all of the criticism, the 49ers could not be more excited to have Pearsall on the roster. They believe that he’s going to be a major impact player for the offense moving forward.

While Pearsall has been relatively quiet since being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, he has heard all of the critics talk about how drafting him was a mistake. Now, he’s chosen to come out and fire back at the doubters.

San Francisco 49ers Rookie Fires Back Aggressively At Media Critics

Pearsall fired back at his critics during an interview with Sports Illustrated and did not hold back his thoughts. He made it clear that he has zero care about what the media has been saying about him.

“That definitely made me feel good because there were a lot of people questioning the pick, but that’s O.K. That’s some noise I gotta block out because at the end of the day, I couldn’t care less of what anybody thinks of me—and that’s my personality and that’s how I walk around. You either like me or you don’t, but I’m going to be myself no matter what.”

While some media members didn’t like the pick, there is no question that Pearsall can add some dynamic ability to the San Francisco 49ers’ offense.

During the 2023 college football season with Florida, Pearsall ended up catching 65 passes for 965 yards and four touchdowns. He was a big weapon for a Gators’ offense that struggled at times.

Looking ahead to his NFL future, he has been compared to an interesting former NFL wide receiver. Kenny Stills is a name that has come up as a comparison for the San Francisco 49ers’ rookie wideout. For those who don’t remember Stills, he was a speedster and a deep threat.

It will be interesting to see how Pearsall develops throughout the next few years. Thankfully, he’s joining an offense with Brock Purdy leading the way and star wide receivers to learn from in Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Pearsall landed in a great place and has major promise for the future.