On Monday, June 2, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report released a list of every NFL team’s top summer breakout candidate, and for the San Francisco 49ers, he chose Ricky Pearsall.
Pearsall, 24, was San Francisco’s first round draft pick last season; the 49ers chose him with the 31st overall pick in the 2024 draft out of the University of Florida.
Pearsall caught the 49ers’ attention after a stellar senior season for the Gators in 2023, during which he accumulated 1,153 all-purpose yards and scored six touchdowns, including four receiving and two rushing.
Ballentine sees Pearsall as a candidate to get a lot of touches this summer as the Niners gear up for the season, given Brandon Aiyuk’s injury as well as the departure of former 49ers star Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders.
Pearsall’s emergence would be vital for Brock Purdy, who just signed a 5-year, $265 million extension with the 49ers on May 20, 2025, and the San Francisco offense as a whole.
Pearsall Was Limited Last Season Due to Injuries
Ricky Pearsall didn’t make his debut last season until Week 7, a game against the Kansas City Chiefs on October 20, 2024.
He missed the majority of OTAs and minicamp due to a sublexed shoulder, then sat out training camp with a hamstring injury.
Then, he started the season on the injured list due to a gunshot wound that he suffered en route to an autograph signing in San Francisco on August 31, 2024, only a week and a half before the 2024 NFL season officially began.
In his 11 games played, Pearsall was able to amass 400 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.
Those totals included 14 catches for 210 yards and 2 touchdowns the last two weeks of the season, in games against the Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals.
The 49ers hope that Pearsall can be more healthy in 2025 and, with a season of experience under his belt, start living up to the potential that he showed when they drafted him and also displayed flashes of those last two weeks of the 2024 season.
Pearsall Injured Again
Unfortunately, Pearsall is going to have a rough time breaking out in the super immediate future; he is dealing with the injury bug once again.
49ers Head Coach shared on Thursday May 29, 2025 during OTA media availability that while Pearsall has been in attendance at the 49ers offseason program, he is dealing with another hamstring issue, and therefore hasn’t been able to practice.
“Ricky’s been awesome,” Shanahan said. “But Ricky has a tweaked hamstring, so I’d be surprised if he does anything in OTAs.”
So, if Pearsall truly is going to carve out a key role amongst the 49ers receiving core before this season starts, that quest will likely need to start when the 49ers’ training camp begins on August 16, 2025.
49ers fans would love to see Ballentine’s prediction come true, and Pearsall certainly showed flashes of brilliance in 2024. So, they hope Pearsall has better luck with safety and health this season, which will give him the best shot at building a thriving career in the NFL, and helping the 49ers bounce back from their 6-11 season in 2024.
