Ricky Pearsall has two 100-yard games already, and 49ers All-Pro Trent Williams expects him to continue to ascend.
Ricky Pearsall is making up for lost time in a big way.
The 49ers’ first-round pick of 2024 once again came up huge as San Francisco improved to 3-0 with a 16-15 win over the Arizona Cardinals as he recorded his second 100-yard receiving performance in three games.
Pearsall finished with eight catches on 11 targets for 117 yards, averaging 0.25 EPA per play and recording a success rate of 67% as he provided another compelling demonstration of why the 49ers took him 31st overall.
With 281 receiving yards through three games, Pearsall leads the NFL with 12.2 yards per target while his 14 first-down receptions are tied for second in the league.
Pearsall’s most significant contribution to Sunday’s win came on a spectacular over the shoulder 34-yard reception from Mac Jones on a fourth-and-2 that set up the 49ers’ lone touchdown of the day. His reliability in producing clutch plays is quickly becoming a consistent factor for the San Francisco offense, Pearsall having set up the 49ers’ game-winning touchdown in Week 1 with a 42-yard catch from Brock Purdy in Seattle.
His success in hitting the ground running in year two comes after a rookie season that saw him wait until Week 7 to make his debut after he miraculously avoided injury to his internal organs in a shooting in August, 2024.
And All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams was effusive in his praise for Pearsall’s performances so far this season, with the future Hall of Famer confident he will continue to ascend.
Williams said of his Pearsall’s display:
“I don’t know how that should surprise anybody, but his rookie season was derailed by something that he couldn’t control. So I mean, it’s a blessing just to see him out there playing the best we’ve seen him play. I mean, obviously he’s a quarterback’s safety blanket. So Ricky’s a baller, and we always knew that from day one. Obviously, it got off to a rough start, but I mean, I think he’s going to cement himself as one of the top receivers in the league here soon.”
That might be considered a bold claim, but Pearsall’s knack for building chemistry with different quarterbacks makes it more likely it will be justified.
Pearsall developed a rapport with Purdy down the stretch last season that was on show in Week 1, and his understanding with Jones has been clear for all to see across the backup quarterback’s two starts in relief of the injured Purdy.
The strength of their connection was most apparent on the fourth-down play, which head coach Kyle Shanahan said came on the play-call ‘Trips right, 3 jet Florida’.
Jones detailed in his press conference that Pearsall was the alert on the play.
“We don’t really throw it that often, so it was just a great catch,” Jones said. “I don’t know how he caught that. It was a great play. He did a great job in the game. He was open a lot, could have hit him even more.”
Jones’ faith in Pearsall is such that he was willing to throw the alert and trust him to come down with it. The confidence in Pearsall in the quarterback room will only increase after that catch and his latest standout showing, with more balls and more opportunities to prove Williams’ prediction correct sure to come his way as the 49ers aim to continue their hot start.
Category: General Sports
