The San Francisco 49ers' wide receiver room has been a weird place to be in 2025.
Big things were expected out of Jauan Jennings after his breakout 2024 and subsequent contract drama. The Niners knew they'd be without star wideout Brandon Aiyuk for a while, though they couldn't have fathomed that Aiyuk's recovery from a torn ACL and MCL would result in a messy divorce.
Going into the season, the one thing the club had hoped for was what Ricky Pearsall had in store for his sophomore season after his rookie year was turned upside down before it had even begun, after he was the victim of a gunshot wound following an attempted robbery.
A healthy Pearsall would hopefully add another dynamic playmaker to the stable of weapons at Brock Purdy's disposal, and even with Mac Jones under center for much of the early going, the former Florida Gator delivered.
However, knee and ankle injuries robbed Pearsall of six weeks of action, and he had been quiet in his return until now. Pearsall was one of the heroes in the 49ers' 37-24 victory in Week 15 over the Tennessee Titans, thanks to his six catches and team-high 96 receiving yards, but the return to form means so much more.
Ricky Pearsall is ready to step into the role Brandon Aiyuk once held for the 49ers
When you envision a Kyle Shanahan passing attack, you're probably thinking about plenty of precise timing routes. Drags, crossers, digs, speed outs, and all of that horizontal breaking stuff designed to get playmakers the ball in space and generate yards after the catch.
What you don't often think of is the deep ball.
While Aiyuk had a reputation for being a bull in a China shop with the ball in his hands, it was once he found the vertical part of his game that truly broke out. Aiyuk's last full healthy season, 2023, saw him set a career high in receiving yards with 1,342 while efficiently hauling in 75 passes on just 105 targets.
That year, Aiyuk ranked third in the NFL in average depth of target at 14.3 yards, trailing only noted deep threat Mike Evans and the great DeAndre Hopkins.
Through the first four weeks of the season, Pearsall was even better at attacking downfield than Aiyuk was at his best. Tallying 20 catches for 327 yards, Pearsall posted an average depth of target of 15.9 yards, second only to Malik Nabors.
While he had been quiet post-injury, Pearsall's impact was felt in other ways, regularly forcing the opposition to keep their safeties back and opening up the middle of the field for George Kittle, Jennings, and Christian McCaffrey to get to work.
However, in Week 15, Pearsall didn't just get deep. He also started making plays with the ball in his hands, averaging 4 yards after the catch.
If Pearsall can combine his electricity on deep balls with a reliable presence generating yards after the catch in a more traditional Shanahan sense, he'll easily assume the mantle of WR1 and make the eventual parting of ways with Aiyuk sting that much less.