Ricky Pearsall has clearly emerged as 49ers’ new No. 1 wide receiver

Fans may be witnessing second-year wide receiver Ricky Pearsall's breakout into stardom.

The San Francisco 49ers clearly felt their offensive injury-related shortages in Week 3's low-scoring NFC West affair against the Arizona Cardinals. With veteran top receiver Brandon Aiyuk still on injured reserve after last year's ACL and MCL tears, plus tight end George Kittle (hamstring) also on IR, head coach Kyle Shanahan has been forced to juggle his wideout room to make up for the slack.

And things weren't made easier in Week 3 with another top pass-catching weapon, wide receiver Jauan Jennings, inactive with shoulder and ankle injuries.

That meant Arizona could focus nearly all of its defensive efforts on Pearsall.

Yet Pearsall responded with plenty of pluck and ability throughout the 16-15 win for San Francisco, finishing the day with eight catches for 117 yards even though his efforts are likely to be overlooked by backup quarterback Mac Jones' game-winning two-minute drill and subsequent field goal by kicker Eddy Pineiro to win the game.

Still, it's refreshing to see hard-to-pull-in catches like this, bailing out his backup quarterback, Mac Jones:

And Pearsall kept it up, too, during a tie game early in the fourth quarter, hauling in an over-the-shoulder 34-yard catch on a key fourth down.

Seriously, a thing of beauty:

That set up the first touchdown of the day for either squad in a pivotal NFC West bout, a 1-yard touchdown grab by fullback Kyle Juszczyk.

But it was Pearsall who was instrumental in the scoring drive, which prompts another question that seemingly has been answered.

Ricky Pearsall cements himself as 49ers' top wide receiver

Aiyuk might like to have a word, but it's apparent Pearsall is the 49ers' new No. 1 on the depth chart. Either way, with the former not anticipated to return at least until Week 6 and still in need of getting up to football speed, the 2024 first-round NFL Draft pick has taken the lead as the Niners' top perimeter pass-catching weapon.

One could argue Pearsall's clutch game against Arizona was the sole offensive reason why San Francisco is now 3-0, as the Cardinals did an admirable job of containing All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey and the ground game.

No other wideout on the 49ers offense had more than 38 yards in the game either.

Jennings' experience and blocking prowess is valuable, yes, and his career-best 975 receiving yards a year ago help establish his reputation. But, a free agent to be in 2026, it's likely the Niners want to maximize their investment in Pearsall going forward.

Things will get interesting upon Aiyuk's return, of course.

But, for now, there's no doubting Pearsall has established himself as San Francisco's top wide receiver through three weeks. And in all the right ways.