The San Francisco 49ers' selection of wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 overall pick in the draft surprised many, with several analysts labeling it as a reach. However, one AFC general manager described the pick as "great."
Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta had hoped to select Pearsall and was disappointed to see the former Florida wide receiver chosen at the end of the first round. While he admits to being surprised by Pearsall's early selection, he thought the Ravens might have a chance at him later.
"It was a great pick. I give those guys a lot of credit," DeCosta said of the 49ers' selection, according to the Ravens' official website. "I thought [Pearsall] was a guy that we might get that was a sleeper for us at some point. He really wasn't a hot, hot commodity name. But that was another guy when you watched his game, he's a super impressive player on tape."
Pearsall registered 65 receptions for 965 yards and four touchdowns through 12 game appearances as a senior in 2023, per Sports Reference. Throughout his collegiate career, he caught 159 passes for 2,420 yards with 14 touchdowns over five seasons, spent with Florida and Arizona State.
The 49ers were sufficiently impressed to make Pearsall the sixth receiver drafted.
Following the selection, Eric DeCosta's 49ers counterpart, John Lynch, discussed his new wide receiver, stating, "He's a guy who, throughout the process, we liked early, and it kept getting stronger and he does a lot of things well. He does a lot of the things we covet at that position well. We believe we have a real strong group there, and we wanted to add another player.
"And you know, Ricky is a very versatile player. Also has some punt return value that we think will come in handy. So, it just felt like it was the right guy at the right time and really excited about it."
Pearsall and the 49ers' latest rookie class reported to Santa Clara this week for the team's rookie minicamp, which runs through Saturday.
