Second-year San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has already been turning heads in training camp. However, an interesting tidbit about how he may be used could add an interesting wrinkle to the offense in 2025.
In a recent episode of the TK Show podcast, hosted by San Francisco Standard reporter Tim Kawakami and The Athletic reporter Matt Barrows, Barrows dropped an interesting nugget about how Pearsall has been used in training camp.
Both reporters spoke about how Pearsall has stood out in camp thus far and how he seems to have established a greater rapport with quarterback Brock Purdy. Barrows went on to say, "Pearsall got the ball a couple of times on carries. I'm not allowed to describe the type of carry he got, but it wasn't just in the passing game."
Even if this nugget is a bit cryptic, this does not come as a huge shock considering we have seen Pearsall get the ball on carries in the past. Last season, he had a 39-yard gain against the Dallas Cowboys on an end-around run, so this is something we know he is capable of.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan has used the end-around run throoughout his tenure, often utilizing his younger receivers to execute it. Deebo Samuel would run that play when he was younger, and Brandon Aiyuk even did it a little in his first few seasons.
Even though Barrows could not describe the type of run, it seems fairly obvious that that must be the type of play San Francisco is trying to execute with Pearsall. He is not going to be used the way Samuel was back in 2021 when he was essentially a running back, and Shanahan would have Deebo running between the tackles trying to stuff the ball down the opponent's throat.
Pearsall lacks the same physicality and size of Samuel, so he is much better equipped to rush the ball outside the tackles with the aid of a lot of motion and deception to try and catch defenses off guard.
Pearsall seems ready to take a big step forward in his second season. He dealt with so much adversity last year, but this year, he appears to be healthy and has confidence after he showed some really positive signs late last season.
He definitely figures to be a big part of the passing game, but Barrows' offhand comment should remind us that he can be a threat as a rusher as well which could add a familiar yet effective wrinkle on offense that Shanahan has employed in the past.
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