Ricky Pearsall was Surprised the 49ers Drafted Him in Round 1

"I was definitely shocked to see San Francisco pop up on my phone and I picked it up," Pearsall said shortly after getting drafted.

Mar 2, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (WO23) during the 2024 NFL / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Ricky Pearsall was just as suprised as you and I were when the 49ers drafted him in Round 1.

Pearsall wasn't projected to get taken that high in the NFL -- he was supposed to get drafted in Round 2 or 3. And he had no idea the 49ers even liked him.

"I was definitely shocked to see San Francisco pop up on my phone and I picked it up," Pearsall said shortly after getting drafted.

“I think the only time I actually met with them was during the Senior Bowl when you’re kind of doing like the little speed dating meetings. So that’s really the only time I really got to talk to them. But as far as that, I didn’t really have too much conversation and contact with them. My agent was trying to contact them leading up, obviously, to the Draft Day. But as far as serious interest, I don’t think that I was aware of this, no."

Pearsall's comments are extremely interesting. Usually, teams vet their first-round picks extensively before drafting them, but the 49ers didn't do that with Pearsall. They didn't bring him into the facility for a 30 visit. They didn't reach out to him. In fact, his agent tried to reach out to them.

It's possible the 49ers were being coy so other teams wouldn't know they liked Pearsall. But that's a farfetched theory, considering no other team in the NFL would have drafted him in Round 1. The 49ers could have sent out a press release before the draft alerting everyone of their intention to take Pearsall in Round 1 and they still would have gotten him.

I'm guessing Pearsall wasn't the 49ers' first choice. It's possible they wanted left tackle Tyler Guyton, who went to the Dallas Cowboys at pick no. 29. It's also possible the 49ers wanted wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who went to the Kansas City Chiefs at pick no. 28. And they traded up to get him, perhaps because they thought the 49ers would take him if they didn't trade up.

So the 49ers ended up with Pearsall, who might be great. But it seems the 49ers are learning about him as they go.