How 49ers rookie Pearsall made a favorable first impression on Warner originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Ricky Pearsall made a strong impression in the first six weeks since the 49ers selected him 31st overall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
But what’s truly important is what happens at the end of July, when the team returns to Santa Clara for the opening of training camp.
“I thought he handled himself really well,” 49ers All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner said of Pearsall.
“There’s a reason he was drafted in the first round. Typically, you get drafted so high because you have a lot of skill and are made of the right stuff.
Warner said he didn’t look at the various draft wide receiver projections, so he had no expectations for Pearsall when he joined the 49ers’ organized team activities.
“I give every rookie a chance to prove themselves,” Warner said. “You’re not really going to prove much at OTAs when you’re in shorts and a t-shirt, but I really liked what I saw in terms of how he operates in the building, you know, going up to the guys and shaking their hands, looking them in the eye, ‘Hey man, I’m Ricky, nice to meet you.’ Little things like this go a long way.
Pearsall appeared to be a perfect fit for the 49ers’ offense after joining the team’s offseason program. He was Brock Purdy’s regular target and the other defenders during attack versus defense drills.
“He’s got really good hands, so he’s rarely going to get down,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said during the team’s mandatory minicamp last week. “We’re getting him a lot of reps. He’s been going through a lot of different paths, trying out all the positions and we’re really impressed with how he’s started.”
Warner cautioned that it is too early to make any judgments about any player until camp opens this summer and contact is allowed during padded practices.
“He can obviously run fast. He runs really good routes, he can catch the ball well,” Warner said of Pearsall. “So we’ll see what happens when we put the pads on.”
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