Pearsall impresses 49ers as Aiyuk trade saga takes major turn originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA – The 49ers may need more production your best pick in the 2024 draft than originally planned.
So far, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall given the 49ers reason to believe he may be able to play a more prominent role as a rookie.
“Ricky has been great,” said 49ers offensive passing specialist Klay Kubiak. “I was impressed with how much he retained mentally and how he followed the manual. He is a very, very intelligent player. He’s starting to feel that again with his route running.”
Pearsall suffered a hamstring injury while working in preparation for training camp, and he was eliminated from the list of non-football injuries after missing four days of training.
The 49ers’ wide receiver situation is shaky as they enter the third week of practice, with Brandon Aiyuk’s status uncertain. The All-Pro has yet to train this summer while his contract situation remains unresolved.
Aiyuk is under contract with the 49ers this season with a guaranteed salary of $14.124 million. After failing to reach a long-term contract agreement with San Francisco during the offseason, the 26-year-old requested a trade a week before camp opened.
O 49ers negotiated structure of trades that would send Aiyuk to the Cleveland Browns or New England Patriots, a league source told NBC Sports Bay Area on Monday night.
But it’s not entirely under the 49ers’ control. Completing a trade would require Aiyuk to reach a multi-year contract agreement with either the Browns or the Patriots.
At this point, the 49ers appear more willing than ever to grant Aiyuk’s trade request. The tipping point could be for Aiyuk to decide whether he wants to sign an extension with another team.
The possibility of the 49ers playing this season without Aiyuk means players like Pearsall and veteran Jauan Jennings could be asked to step into bigger roles.
Pearsall has learned every receiver position on the team and appears capable of fitting in wherever needed, Kubiak said.
However, Pearsall, the 31st overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, faces a daunting challenge adjusting to the NFL game.
“You can see he’s a very talented runner and that’s exciting,” Kubiak said. “He has a long way to go, like any rookie, with experience and learning details. But so far, we like what we’re seeing.”
