49ers pick Florida WR Pearsall No. 31 overall, bolster offense
49ers pick Florida WR Pearsall No. 31 overall, bolster offense originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — Brandon Aiyuk’s contract situation has been the top storyline for the 49ers this offseason.
Regardless of what’s to come on that front, the 49ers needed better depth at wide receiver.
And on Thursday night, the 49ers made a move with the idea of adding another reliable route-runner and pass-catcher for quarterback Brock Purdy.
The 49ers selected wide receiver Ricky Pearsall of Florida with the No. 31 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The selection of Pearsall does not necessarily mean the 49ers are prepared to part ways with Aiyuk, but it leaves that door open for a possible trade on Day 2 of the draft.
Pearsall (6-foot-1, 191 pounds) played his first three college seasons at Arizona State before moving on to Florida for his final two seasons. He led the Gators in receiving the past two years.
Pearsall, a freshman at Arizona State, was teammates for one season with Aiyuk, a Sun Devils senior wideout.
As a fifth-year senior at Florida, Pearsall caught 65 passes for 965 yards and four touchdowns.
He has the ability to line up in the slot or outside. And he could also fill a need for the 49ers as a punt returner. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Since general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan came to the 49ers in 2017, the team has twice used a first- or second-round selection on a wide receiver.
In 2019, the 49ers picked Deebo Samuel early in the second round. The following year, the 49ers traded up from No. 31 to No. 25 to pick Aiyuk.
Both of those picks worked out well for the 49ers, but they have been unable to get consistent production from any of their other wide receivers during that time.
Jauan Jennings, a seventh-round draft pick in 2021, saw his regular-season production drop last season to just 19 catches for 265 yards and one touchdown. However, he was a factor in the postseason with two receptions for 111 yards and one touchdown.
After their top three receivers, the 49ers got next-to-nothing. Pearsall joins a wide receivers room that also features recent draft picks Danny Gray and Ronnie Bell, as well as Trent Taylor, Chris Conley and Tay Martin for roles on the team. The 49ers signed Taylor last week due to his efficiency as a punt returner.