SANTA CLARA — It took a while, but wide receiver Ricky Pearsall showed late in the season what the 49ers envisioned when they selected him in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Pearsall endured a rookie season that included shoulder injuries in the offseason program and training camp, a hamstring injury at the beginning of training camp and a shooting that resulted in an overnight stay in a San Francisco hospital.
He appeared in 11 games, including a five-game stretch in which he caught just two passes for 21 yards.
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SIGN UP HERE Pearsall broke out with an impressive showing in Week 17 when he caught eight passes for 141 yards and a touchdown in a 40-34 loss to the Detroit Lions.
“It’s always encouraging to see younger guys show a little of the reason we drafted him,” 49ers receivers coach Leonard Hankerson said on Tuesday.
Hankerson said there typically is a lot going through the minds of young players. They are thinking so much about where to line up and how to carry out an assignment.
“It affects how their game looks early on because they’re doing so much thinking,” Hankerson said. “They’re not going out and playing the position like they know how to play.”
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Pearsall finished the season with six catches for 69 yards and a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals.
“Just seeing that was awesome,” Hankerson said. “He put the work in, and he always works his tail off. So that gives us the hope he can come in this year and pick up where he left off.”
On the season, Pearsall caught 31 passes for 400 yards and three touchdowns.
The next step for Pearsall (6-foot-3, 189 pounds) is to get bigger and stronger.
“Ricky has the natural ability, the natural talent, the skill set that we look for,” Hankerson said. “Now, it’s about putting on a little bulk. That way, he can play through contact with some of the big, physical corners and sustain it, rather than getting knocked out every single time he gets bumped by someone.”
Pearsall’s offseason hit a recent bump. He sustained a hamstring injury that brought an end to what had been a strong offseason program.
“Obviously, injuries are part of the game,” Hankerson said. “It sucks when it happens because he was actually doing pretty well up until that point.
“He has come a long way, and if he continues to pick up wherever he left off, it’ll be a positive. We got to get him healthy and continue to take steps in the right direction.”