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PFF: Drafting Ricky Pearsall was the 49ers' Best Move of the Offseason

When the 49ers drafted Pearsall, most analysts criticized the move because he doesn't fix a weakness or make the team better now. Pro Football Focus loved the pick, though.

Grant Cohn

May 10, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (14) runs drills during the 49ers rookie minicamp at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. Mandatory Credit: Robert Kupbens-USA TODAY Sports
May 10, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (14) runs drills during the 49ers rookie minicamp at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. Mandatory Credit: Robert Kupbens-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Kupbens-USA TODAY Sports
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The 49ers had a controversial offseason.

They didn't necessarily get better. And they didn't extend Brandon Aiyuk's contract, either. Instead, they drafted wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in Round 1 even though they didn't give him a first-round grade. They reached for him. And they took him just in case Aiyuk holds out into the season the way Colts running back Jonathan Taylor did last season.

When the 49ers drafted Pearsall, most analysts criticized the move because he doesn't fix a weakness or make the team better now. Pro Football Focus loved the pick, though.

"Perhaps some felt that drafting wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was overkill for the 49ers' receiver room or was done so in a way that may have alienated Brandon Aiyuk, but the move was brilliant," wrote PFF analyst Trevor Sikkema. "At that point in the draft, wide receiver was the best talent value. By drafting Pearsall, San Francisco gave itself a backup if Aiyuk did end up being traded. And if Aiyuk was back in the fold, they’d have an even deeper and more talented offense. Pearsall can play all three receiver spots with skill, speed and toughness."

I disagree that Pearsall was the best talent value at pick no. 31. No team gave him a first-round grade. And barring injury, he won't play offense for the 49ers next season. He'll return punts if he's healthy -- he's currently on the NFI List. Jauan Jennings is the no. 3 receiver. He just got an extension and he's healthy.

Instead of reaching for a wide receiver, the 49ers could have taken a defensive back -- either Cooper DeJean, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Kamari Lassiter or Max Melton. Defensive back was a major need for the 49ers, which is why they took Renardo Green with the final pick in Round 2. Green seems good, but one of the other defensive backs would have been better.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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