Former Florida standout wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was a bit of a surprise selection on the first day of the 2024 NFL Draft in late April, as the San Francisco 49ers opted to select Pearsall in the first round with the 31st overall pick.
While Pearsall has repeatedly earned praise in the nearly two-month span since he was drafted out west, there are some who still believe the selection of Pearsall was a bit of a gamble, considering he was widely viewed as a mid-second round pick by analysts ahead of the Draft.
ESPN's Seth Walder went through each organization's selections in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the network analyst labeled Pearsall as "probably the largest non-QB reach on the first round based on expectations of where players would be drafted."
Biggest move: Not trading any of their wide receivers
Move I liked: Not trading WR Brandon Aiyuk
Move I disliked: Reaching for WR Ricky Pearsall in the first round
The 49ers enter 2024 with many of the same players who got them to Super Bowl LVIII, other than some defensive line turnover.
The team cut defensive tackle Arik Armstead and lost defensive tackles Sebastian Joseph-Day and Javon Kinlaw along with defensive ends Randy Gregory, Clelin Ferrell and Chase Young in free agency and brought in edge rusher Leonard Floyd, defensive tackle Maliek Collins (via trade), defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos and defensive tackle Jordan Elliott. Collins is the player I like the most from that group -- a longtime underrated pass-rushing threat who ranked 12th in pass rush win rate at defensive tackle (13%) in 2023 and accumulated 5.0 sacks. San Francisco also added De'Vondre Campbell at linebacker, a potentially important signing after Dre Greenlaw tore his left Achilles in the Super Bowl.
Perhaps the most notable move of the 49ers' offseason is one they didn't make -- at least not yet: trading Aiyuk or fellow receiver Deebo Samuel. Aiyuk is worth keeping and paying, as he was the top overall receiver in ESPN's receiver tracking metrics last season and is just 26 years old. On the other hand, Samuel is a great YAC receiver but I worry how his style of play will age. At 28, he is two years older than Aiyuk. If the 49ers decide they are overinvested at wideout and want to save money, Samuel is the player to move.
Part of the reason they are so invested is because the team also spent its first-round pick on Pearsall. Though a fine prospect, that was probably the largest non-QB reach on the first round based on expectations of where players would be drafted.
Pearsall, who transferred from Arizona State ahead of the 2022 season, saw his stock rise rapidly during the pre-draft process after impressing during Senior Bowl workouts and the interview process during Pro Day. At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Pearsall registered the 10th-fastest 40-yard dash among receivers (4.41 seconds) along with a vertical leap of 42 inches, good for third among all wideouts.
With 65 catches for 965 yards in 2023, both marks that were career-highs, Pearsall fell just 35 yards short of becoming the first 1,000-yard receiver at Florida since in 22 years.
Despite having yet to play a snap at the professional level, Pearsall apparently already has a notable skeptic in Walder. Pearsall will take the field for the first time with the 49ers when San Francisco opens the preseason on Aug. 10 against the Tennessee Titans.
