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Report: 49ers Drafted Ricky Pearsall Aware of his Shoulder Injury

Some discouraging context has been provided on the shoulder injury that 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall is dealing with.

Jose Luis Sanchez III

May 10, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (14) smiles 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) smiles 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 San Francisco 49ers have been so secretive when it comes to the shoulder injury of Ricky Pearsall. He's been missing practice the last couple of weeks because of it. There's been no specifics or recovery timelines for him.

It's been bizarre, to say the least, but not as bizarre as the 49ers drafting Pearsall aware of his shoulder injury. According to Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, the 49ers were fully aware he had an issue with his shoulder. They drafted him anyway believing it would be fine.

“The other component of that is Pearsall, who looked amazing the like 1.5 practices he was actually healthy since they drafted him,” Silver said to KNBR (h/t NinersNation) “But has a shoulder thing that is now recurring and worrying over the long haul, something they knew about before they drafted him and were hoping wouldn't be a thing.”

Unreal. So many questions come to mind. For starters, when and how did Pearsall sustain the injury? What exactly did he hurt? Is this why the 49ers kept him out of one-versus-ones in training camp? It also makes sense why he participated in OTAs in the blue no-contact jersey.

Kyle Shanahan did reveal that Pearsall's shoulder injury was a reaggravation from OTAs. Now it's clear that he went into the draft already being nagged by it. The 49ers really cannot be trusted to draft players in the first round. Their judgement is really poor or they are extremely unlucky. Now that this information is out there, it makes monitoring Pearsall's shoulder injury much more crucial.

You have to wonder if he even can find a role on the 49ers this year given the time he's missed.

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Jose Luis Sanchez III
JOSE LUIS SANCHEZ III

Jose Luis Sanchez III has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily for FanNation since 2019. He started off as the lead publisher for FanNation's All49ers, then switched positions to become the Deputy Editor in 2020. Sanchez writes, edits, and produces videos daily for All49ers. He also co-hosts a show on YouTube with All49ers lead publisher Grant Cohn weekly. Prior to FanNation, Sanchez started his writing career back in 2016 for the school newspaper at Skyline college where he covered all sports team in the Bay Area. Following that from 2017 to 2019, he found a role as a contributor for FanSided's news desk along with their site's Just Blog Baby covering the Las Vegas Raiders and Golden Gate Sports every professional Bay Area sports team. Atop all of that, he was able to graduate with a Bachelors degree in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University in 2020. Sanchez is committed to ensuring he delivers transparent analysis and straightforward opinions that resonates with readers to get them thinking.

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