Subscribe
Follow Us
While San Francisco 49ers star Brock Purdy is waiting for Brandon Aiyuk to be healthy, the wide receiver room of the team has been a cause of concern for the football world. Though the football world is looking at 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall as turning heads this upcoming season, there's a chance that the negative speculation around the unit is overplayed.
NFL expert analyst Nick Shook would speak about San Francisco's 22-19 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday and highlighted the wide receivers. He would go as far as to say that the team's issue at wide receiver “isn't as bad as it seems,” pointing out the other players on the roster like Demarcus Robinson, Russell Gage, and others.
“San Francisco's receiver problem isn't as bad as it seems,” Shook wrote. “Yes, it isn't ideal to start a season without your $30 million-per-year receiver (Brandon Aiyuk) and uncertainty regarding Jauan Jennings' status, but general manager John Lynch deserves some credit for filling up this roster with additional veteran options.”
“Judging by how well he handled his job Saturday, Demarcus Robinson (three catches, 44 yards) might prove to be a crucial pickup,” Shook continued. “Russell Gage (three catches for 25 yards, including a spectacular diving grab) brings experience to the corps, and I'm intrigued by what Isaiah Hodgins(two catches, 21 yards) could do for this group, provided he makes the team. I write all of this to caution against buying into what the doubters are selling; if Brock Purdy is given time to throw, I think the 49ers will be just fine.”
49ers' wide receiver room highlighted by Ricky Pearsall
As the 49ers' star quarterback in Purdy is working with the receivers in building chemistry as Aiyuk and Juauan Jennings are on the sidelines, the one player that has been standing out is Pearsall. Even in San Francisco's preseason win over Las Vegas, Purdy and Pearsall's connection was on full display in the first drive as the receiver caught three catches for 42 yards on four targets, catching the attention of head coach Kyle Shanahan.
“The more Brock and Ricky are out there together, the better they get,” Shanahan said, according to The Athletic. “Ricky got a late start, but he’s put together a couple of good weeks. He’s been that way in practice, and it was good to get him out there and see it in a game.”
The quarterback hit Pearsall on the first two plays of the game, with one coming on a third-and-18 situation that kept the drive going. Though there would be slight miscommunication on a route in the endzone, it is the preseason, as it's time for the two to hone in on themselves before the start of the regular slate.
At any rate, the 49ers have one more preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, August 23, before Week 1 of the regular season on Sunday, September 7, facing the Seattle Seahawks.
