Ricky Pearsall has must-see play for first-ever NFL touchdown

Ricky Pearsall's NFL journey has been nothing but dramatic, and his first pro touchdown in Week 10 was something else, too.

No matter what becomes of his NFL career, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall will have a story to tell.

The top Niners pick of the 2024 draft, Pearsall wasn't able to kick off the regular season as a hyped first-year player, thanks to a scary gunshot wound suffered in an attempted robbery on Aug. 31.

This delayed Pearsall's debut until the halfway point of the season, and it's a miracle he was able to return so soon under such circumstances.

After two modestly impressive games, Pearsall finally cracked into the end zone in San Francisco's Week 10 road affair against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

And what a play it was.

Ricky Pearsall scores first NFL touchdown in dramatic fashion

On 2nd-and-5 on the 49ers' second offensive drive, quarterback Brock Purdy saw Pearsall open toward the middle of the field, delivering a strike to the rookie receiver.

But Pearsall did the rest, capitalizing on a 46-yard score and getting the ball just inside the weakside pylon for the touchdown, burning Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr. in the process:

Then, looking at what Next Gen Stats had to say, Pearsall's score becomes even more incredible:

That gave the Niners an early 7-0 lead, but the big picture is far more important.

With top wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk out for the rest of the season with ACL and MCL tears, San Francisco will need Pearsall to mature on a much more rapid pace.

Judging by this kind of play, it appears as if the rookie is doing just that.

Read more from Niner Noise