Ricky Pearsall: Breakout Candidate or Appropriately Valued?

Will he fill the Deebo Samuel-sized void?

The 2024 Super Bowl identified a weakness in the 49ers’ offensive build. Down the stretch, the Chiefs lined up in bullying press-man coverage, and they ran out of third-down beaters to come out on top in overtime. The corresponding NFL Draft saw them select Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing, two players who excelled at winning against man coverage in college. Cowing didn’t get a lot of run in the 2024 offense, like most day-three wideouts Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch select annually. Pearsall would’ve gotten immediate playing time if not for a gunshot wound suffered during training camp. Still, the injury derailed the start of his rookie year. His debut in Week 7 was bittersweet, as Brandon Aiyuk’s season-ending injury dominated the headlines. After a fine debut and an okay follow-up, Pearsall broke through with four receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown against the Buccaneers in Week 10. What followed was more than a month of disappointment, as the 49ers’ offense struggled to find an identity without the sureness of Aiyuk. Pearsall’s Week 17 and 18 performances turned some heads, though. Fifty-two percent of his total receiving yards came in these two weeks, and that’s left fantasy managers questioning which iteration of Pearsall the world will see in 2025.

Pearsall currently sits at WR34 on KeepTradeCut. In May, more than 1,200 trades involving Pearsall occurred, one of the highest rates among dynasty assets in that time frame. But should dynasty managers be buying? Is a breakout on the horizon? Or is the WR34 valuation too much of a projection to invest in?

The Film

One of Pearsall’s strengths on his final-year college film was route-running, but playing wideout at the NFL level is more complex than just fancy footwork and beating players who may make an NFL roster, but probably won’t. Play strength concerns were prevalent, and the lack of production throughout his time in college was a reason for pause. I’m happy to report that the 2024 film was excellent, especially down the stretch.

Pearsall (#14) consistently won with excellent releases, putting cornerbacks on their heels before accelerating in and out of his stems. Not only was he terrific with his lower body, but his hand usage to generate additional space was highly efficient.

The play above likely requires an outside release due to the spacing between Pearsall and Kittle. The best wideouts in the NFL win in-breakers after outside releases, but not every player succeeds. Here, Pearsall outside releases, getting the cornerback completely opened up away from the line of scrimmage. He subtly uses his inside arm to hold the cornerback in this position before breaking underneath him to the middle of the field. This is an excellent route, resulting in a 15-yard gain. These tiny nuances separate mildly productive wideouts from 1,000-yard receivers, and Pearsall has plenty of film that indicates he’ll join the latter.

While Pearsall showed some promise in 2024, it certainly helps that Purdy is the most efficient a quarterback a Shanahan offense has ever had, especially with anticipatory throws.

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