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49ers drafting Ricky Pearsall ‘biggest non-QB reach in 2024 NFL Draft’.

Former Florida standout wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was a bit of a surprise selection on the first day of the 2024 NFL Draft in late April, as the San Francisco 49ers opted to select Pearsall in the first round with the 31st overall pick.

While Pearsall has repeatedly earned praise in the nearly two-month span since he was drafted out west, there are some who still believe the selection of Pearsall was a bit of a gamble, considering he was widely viewed as a mid-second round pick by analysts ahead of the Draft.

 

ESPN’s Seth Walder went through each organization’s selections in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the network analyst labeled Pearsall as “probably the largest non-QB reach on the first round based on expectations of where players would be drafted.”

Pearsall, who transferred from Arizona State ahead of the 2022 season, saw his stock rise rapidly during the pre-draft process after impressing during Senior Bowl workouts and the interview process during Pro Day. At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Pearsall registered the 10th-fastest 40-yard dash among receivers (4.41 seconds) along with a vertical leap of 42 inches, good for third among all wideouts.

With 65 catches for 965 yards in 2023, both marks that were career-highs, Pearsall fell just 35 yards short of becoming the first 1,000-yard receiver at Florida since in 22 years.

Despite having yet to play a snap at the professional level, Pearsall apparently already has a notable skeptic in Walder. Pearsall will take the field for the first time with the 49ers when San Francisco opens the preseason on Aug. 10 against the Tennessee Titans.