San Francisco 49ers WR Ricky Pearsall impressed at Florida last season and enters a situation in which no receiver outside of Deebo Samuel Sr. and Brandon Aiyuk caught even 20 passes in 2023.
Does the efficiency of this offense allow for a promising prospect to overcome volume concerns and emerge as a fantasy WR sleeper down the stretch, or are there simply too many mouths to feed for Pearsall to return any redraft fantasy football value in 2024?
Rick Pearsall’s 2024 Fantasy Forecast
It’s not hard to like what Pearsall brings to the table, and whenever one of the league’s most efficient offenses spends first-round draft capital on a skill position player, it deserves to have our attention.
#49ers Ricky Pearsall looking CRISPY ♨️ pic.twitter.com/uQVT7YZB60
— 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 (@TheSFNiners) July 29, 2024
For those unfamiliar with Pearsall’s game, here are the highlights from the former Gator’s profile according to Pro Football Network NFL Draft Analyst Ian Cummings:
- Fairly explosive athlete who can use his burst to surge out of route breaks and separate.
- Has enough long speed to stretch seams at the intermediate and deep levels.
- Has the elite body control and coordination to pull off incredible acrobatic catches.
- Plays the ball patiently and uses late adjustments and late hands to stay in control.
- Reliable hands catcher who consistently corrals throws with sturdy diamond technique.
- Flashes elite hand strength, both at the catch point and amidst impending contact.
- Has exceptional foot speed, cylindrical twitch, and a vast release package at the line.
- Fluid, nuanced separator who can use tempo modulations to throttle through zones.
Brock Purdy is coming off of one of the 10 most efficient seasons in NFL history, and this team is bringing in additional support? Some regression is to be expected on his part, but this was one of the most feared offenses a season ago and should very much be penciled in as such again this year.
How many times last season do you think a 49er receiver not named Aiyuk or Samuel earned more than five targets in a game?
The answer is two, and barring the unlikely Aiyuk trade, it’s hard to envision enough opportunity opening up for Pearsall to matter in anything but the deepest of leagues.
I like the skill set, and he is certainly deserving of dynasty investment, but for redraft, this profile is simply too thin to have my attention, even with the final pick of the draft.
If I’m going to be swinging for the fences with my final pick, something I recommend doing (draft your D/ST and kicker one round earlier — you’ll get better talent and your sleeper receiver will still be there in the final round), I’m going with Jermaine Burton, Michael Wilson, or Roman Wilson.
All of those young receivers offer talent upside, but more importantly, they project to have the opportunity to show it to us sooner rather than later. We will get a feel for their roles in the first month of the season, and that allows for roster mobility if need be. The drafting of Pearsall is a long-term play, one that most managers won’t have the patience for, and they could end up cutting bait before ever getting a chance to see what he can do.
