San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has not lived up to expectations in his first two NFL seasons. However, he has flashed enough to make the 49ers look justified in their selection.
How does Ricky Pearsall compare to 2024 draft class?
Ricky Pearsall was the seventh receiver taken in his draft class. While he is 10th in yards at the position through two years, the six players selected ahead of him all had more yards. The other names with more yards are Ladd McConkey, Keon Coleman, and Troy Franklin.
Franklin was drafted with the 102nd overall pick, so he was more of a great find than a miss by the 49ers. However, it is fair to wonder if the 49ers would have been better if they had taken McConkey or Coleman.
Those three were clear in a tier with one another. Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze went in the top ten. Then Brian Thomas Jr. went 23rd before a tier of Xavier Worthy, Persall, Xavier Legette, Coleman, McConkey, and Ja’Lynn Polk all went from picks 28-37. The next receiver did not get drafted until pick 52, showing a clear break in the tier.
San Francisco 49er
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Polk has clearly been a bust, and the team does not have to worry about Worthy, who went ahead of them. So, the decision was between Pearsall, McConkey, Coleman, and Legette.
Legette has 860 yards, but averages 1.03 yards per route run. Unlike Pearsall, who has been banged up, Legette has been given plenty of chances and has not built on them. The same could be said of Coleman. He has 960 yards, but is averaging 1.41 yards per route run.
Pearsall only has 928 yards, but is averaging 1.5 yards per route run. Coleman is slightly less efficient but on the field slightly more. Beyond that, the Bills have tried to replace Coleman and the 49ers have built around Pearsall.
The real issue is going to be McConkey. McConkey has over 1,000 more yards so far. He also averages 1.93 yards per route run. So, he is healthier and more efficient when he is on the field compared to Pearsall. He is primarily a slot weapon with just a 32% slot rate. Pearsall plays outside 69% of the time. Because of George Kitlte and Kyle Juscyzk, the team does not rely on their slot as much.
So, the 49ers will argue he is not a great fit. Still, he is the one clear receiver that should have gone ahead of Pearsall.
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