Ricky Pearsall shooting recovery timeline: 49ers rookie WR poised for increased role

Admin October 27, 2024

The San Francisco 49ers are back in prime time in Week 8 with a “Sunday Night Football” game against the Dallas Cowboys at home. Both teams need a win entering this matchup. San Francisco aims to keep pace at the top of the NFC West, and Dallas aims to stay in playoff contention.

The 49ers are dealing with injuries on offense, especially among the pass-catchers. Reigning second-team All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is out for the season with a knee injury from last week’s loss to the Chiefs. Fellow starting wideout Deebo Samuel Sr. is recovering after a hospitalization from pneumonia but was practicing Thursday.

Jauan Jennings has not practiced this week due to a hip injury that kept him out of last week’s game. Tight end George Kittle also missed practice with a foot injury.

San Francisco’s depth will be tested on Sunday. The 49ers may need plenty of snaps from rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who missed the first six weeks of the season after sustaining a bullet wound to his chest in late August during an attempted robbery.

Here’s what to know about Pearsall, the 49ers’ first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, including his recovery from the shooting and scouting report.

Ricky Pearsall shooting timeline

Aug. 31, 2024: Pearsall is shot in the chest in an attempted robbery while walking in the Union Square area of San Francisco on his way to an autograph signing event. The 17-year-old shooter was allegedly attempting to steal Pearsall’s watch, and both were shot in the incident.
Sept. 1, 2024: Pearsall is released from San Francisco General Hospital.

Sept. 2, 2024: San Francisco places Pearsall on the reserve/non-football injury list.
Sept. 9, 2024: Pearsall was on the sidelines for the 49ers’ opening game against the New York Jets. During the game, the first responders who helped Pearsall at the scene of the robbery were honored.

Oct. 19, 2024: The 49ers upgrade Pearsall from the reserve/NFI list to the active roster.
Oct. 20, 2024: Pearsall makes his NFL debut against the Kansas City Chiefs. He has three catches for 21 yards on five targets and receives an ovation from the home crowd after his first career reception.

Ricky Pearsall scouting report

San Francisco selected Pearsall No. 31 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Florida. He was the sixth of a record-tying seven wide receivers selected in the first round.

Scouting reports praised Pearsall’s route running, reliable hands, and toughness. His biggest negatives were his lack of high-end top speed and age (24 years old as a rookie). NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote Pearsall “appears to play with an idea of how to manipulate certain coverage looks and leverages… but lacks ideal foot quickness to beat press and maintain separation.”

“Pearsall wasn’t a home-run hitter on tape, but he is a reliable receiving option with the route quickness and ball skills to quickly become a favorite target for an NFL quarterback,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote in his report. “He has the skill set and toughness to work inside or outside and return punts at the next level.”

Here’s how Pearsall did at the 2024 NFL scouting combine:

40-yard dash: 4.41 seconds (1.57-second 10-yard split)
Vertical jump: 42 inches
Broad jump: 10 feet, nine inches
3-cone drill: 6.64 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.05 seconds
Bench press: 17 reps

Where is Ricky Pearsall from?

Pearsall is from Chandler, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix. His father, Rick Pearsall Sr., played college football at Northern Arizona, and his mother, Erin, played volleyball. Pearsall Sr. coached his youth football team and is a captain with the Phoenix Fire Department.

Pearsall was a three-star recruit at Corona del Sol High School. He started his college career with Arizona State and had offers from Air Force, Hawaii, Idaho, New Mexico State, Northern Arizona, and UC Davis.

He played in all 13 games as a true freshman alongside future 49ers teammate Aiyuk. After three seasons with Arizona State, Pearsall transferred to Florida for his final two seasons of college football and led the Gators in receiving yards in both seasons.