Ricky Pearsall’s welcome to the NFL has been quite the whirlwind.
The 49ers wide receiver is ready to bounce back after an adverse rookie 2024 season, and things look a bit different than they did a year ago after he was selected by San Francisco in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
As a rookie, Pearsall joined a wide receivers room with one of the best receiver duos in the league in Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. Now, Samuel is a member of the Washington Commanders after being traded this offseason, and Aiyuk continues his lengthy rehab from a torn ACL and MCL while his Week 1 status is in question.
Despite all the newness for Pearsall entering Year 2, nothing about his preparation has changed.
“My mindset has not changed at all. I’m going to attack it the exact same way I always have,” Pearsall told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco on the latest “49ers Talk.” “No matter what place I’m at, no matter what the coach tells me, I still have that wide receiver 1 mindset. That’s just how I was raised. I’ve always been a hard worker. My parents raised me that way, and I’ve always had that same mindset no matter what position you’re in. That’s just how I attack my life in general.
“What makes our room really cool is that everyone has that mindset. [There’s] very healthy competition in there and it makes everybody better. I’m excited to see what our receiver room can do this year because I’m still very confident in that.”
Pearsall endured an unimaginable rookie season, beginning with injuries during training camp. Just as he was nearing recovery and aiming to be ready for Week 1, the young receiver was shot in the chest.
Somehow, someway, he returned to the field in Week X, finishing with 31 receptions for 400 yards and three touchdowns.
And now, primed for his second NFL season, he feels more ready than ever to contribute to the 49ers.
“I’m obviously more comfortable in my environment,” Pearsall said. “I know my teammates better. I know the system better. I just feel like I’m going to play a lot faster knowing exactly what’s coming up. I know exactly what to prepare for in the offseason to get into training camp. For me, taking care of my body is probably the most important thing and that’s something I’ve learned along the way.
“In college, it’s just grind, grind, grind, grind, grind. Well, that same grind goes into recovery purposes, too. So I still got to make sure I’m doing that in the offseason. But I’m super excited and I know exactly what to expect.”
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