The San Francisco 49ers traded away star wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders earlier this offseason, so they will need someone to step up and take his place.
In a recent article by PFF's Ryan Smith, he lists 10 second-year players that he thinks are going to have a bigger role in 2025 than they did in their rookie seasons. One of the players he thinks that this will be true for is Niners receiver Ricky Pearsall.
"Pearsall missed the first six weeks of the season after recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest just before Week 1. He had a productive second half of the season after his return," Smith wrote. "The 49ers traded wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders in March, creating a path for Pearsall to step into a bigger role in 2025. Samuel graded out no lower than 70.9 in his six years with the team, so San Francisco will be counting on Pearsall to produce in a big way moving forward."
The 24-year-old wideout started in just four of the 11 games that he appeared in, but he was still able to make his impact felt.
He tallied 400 receiving yards and three touchdowns in his rookie season, and really showed flashes of greatness in the later stages of the 2024 season.
But what about Brandon Aiyuk? He's rehabbing and not expected to be ready for Week 1.
And Jauan Jennings? No problems there, but this Brock Purdy-led offense needs more.
Enter Pearsall.
The 49ers missed the playoffs this past season, so Pearsall and the rest of the team's offense will be looking to help lead the team back to the postseason in 2025.
