The San Francisco 49ers made one of the more shocking picks of the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday night. With rumors swirling about what the team will do with Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, the team took Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the 31st pick. It shocked many, but the pick received much praise on Friday. One of the supporters may surprise some people.
San Francisco 49ers WR Rickey Pearsall Praised
Bleacher Report ran a live draft show featuring some of the NFL’s biggest stars. Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud was one of those players, and when the San Francisco 49ers picked Ricky Pearsall, he had nothing but praise.
“Bro, he’s elite. You’ll see. Especially in that offense, Kyle is going to dial it up for him. That’s why I felt he was going to fit in our system. He’s nasty, bro. … I know routes and football players. When I watch him, at first, I was like, OK, he’s good. I’d seen him at Arizona State, and his first year at Florida was OK; this last year, he put it together. It’s everything combined. … I wanted him bad.”
Stroud wanted him on the team, which says a lot. He reportedly wanted Tank Dell last year, and he flourished on the offense. Current players aren’t usually shy about how they feel about players, so the fact that Stroud is so high on Pearsall says a lot.
More Praise For Pearsall
CJ Stroud wasn’t the only person praising the pick for the San Francisco 49ers. Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had this to say about the pick right before it happened.
“Here’s the thing, you can’t play wide receiver in San Francisco unless you will block. If you don’t block, you’re not playing receiver there. Whoever (is the 49ers’ pick), they need to be good with the ball in their hands, which Pearsall is, and has to be tough and willing to block, which he will do.”
Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III tweeted this out after the pick.
“Ricky Pearsall doesn’t just look like Travis Kelce, his game has the same flavor to it. He knows how to use leverage to get open, knows when he is open and catches everything. Pearsall adds more playmaking versatility to the most offensively volatile team in the NFL.”
It’s safe to say that while the pick may have shocked some, people are very bullish on what head coach Kyle Shanahan will do with the talented receiver.
Keep An Eye For Trades
San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch admitted he was on the phones last night talking about trades. Picking Ricky Pearsall likely means some combination of Aiyuk and Samuel will be traded. While the first round has all the pageantry, the NFL Draft is far from over. There are still plenty of quality players out there, and teams will be very busy working their draft boards throughout the weekend.
For More Great Sports Content
Matt Brown has been following sports since he was a kid. It does not matter what sport he is talking about; he tends to be an expert in it. When he is not glued to following sports, he is a banker in Wisconsin and hosts two podcasts, Beers and Ears & Discontinued on Display.
Follow him on Twitter at @sorcerermatt, and follow us @TotalApexSports. Total Apex is your one-stop shop for all things sports and entertainment. Check out Total Apex Bets, Total Apex Fantasy Sports, Total Apex Gaming, and Total Apex Entertainment for full coverage of the sports and entertainment sphere.
