The career trajectory of San Francisco 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall isn’t as bright as it once was as he heads into a critical third NFL season.
He’s played in just 20 games over the past two seasons due to injury (some of which was time spent recovering from an offseason gunshot wound) and he’s never finished a year with more than 36 receptions or 400 receiving yards. Pearsall has also only caught three touchdown passes.
That isn’t what the 49ers had hoped when they drafted him No. 31 overall in 2024, and now he enters a season as, at best the 49ers second receiver option behind Mike Evans.
Based on all this, former 49ers defensive back Donte Whitner didn’t mince words when he discussed whether or not 2026 is a make-or-break season for Pearsall. He said on “The Grit Code Podcast” with Rod Brooks and 49ers legend Patrick Willis that the perception of Pearsall as a WR1 is “probably over” if he misses at least half of the games in 2026.
“The No. 1 attribute for any professional athlete is availability,” Whitner said. “Yeah, being shot while being robbed is not his responsibility, but it is still on your track record. Last year coming into the season and healed up from the shot wound: PCL, knee injury, ankle, inconsistency and a lack of availability. That’s Year 2. Now we did see him flash. We did see his ability to separate. We did see him make plays, but we didn’t see it when it counted. Now you go into year three… If Ricky Pearsall misses around 50% of the availability in the games this year, I can say that it’s probably over for the perception of Ricky Pearsall developing into a No. 1 wide receiver in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
“When you look through the track record through NFL history and you go through the first two years for any wide receivers drafted in the first round, the odds of becoming an All-Pro after Year 2 is almost zero if you can’t stay on the field for that third year.”
Pearsall’s role in the offense should be monitored closely in 2026, considering he will be eligible for an extension after the 2026 season. If he breaks out, there’s a chance the 49ers will start discussing a new deal. But since he’s a first-round player, the 49ers also have the opportunity to exercise Pearsall’s fifth-year option for 2028.
Whitner makes a good point later in the podcast about the future of the 49ers’ passing game: Who is the team’s WR1? Evans is expected to be the top option for quarterback Brock Purdy in 2026, but Evans will be 33 this season — he doesn’t have that many years left in his career. Christian Kirk is a solid veteran, but he’s certainly not a long-term WR1 option. Brandon Aiyuk was supposed to be that guy, but his time in San Francisco is effectively over.
Pearsall could be that for the 49ers, but he can’t stay healthy. So, there might be a reckoning over the next year or so of what the 49ers want their receiving corps to look like in the future.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Ex-Niner warns Ricky Pearsall is losing his chance to become a WR1
Reporting by Oliver G., Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
