49ers rookie Pearsall feels blessed to make NFL debut after shooting originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — Ricky Pearsall’s long-awaited NFL debut ended up being a necessity after injuries plagued 49ers receivers in their 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
San Francisco’s first-round pick of the 2024 NFL Draft was on the field for 17 plays during the first half, with his first NFL reception coming towards the end of the second quarter on a 6-yard pass from Brock Purdy.
“I definitely felt jitters on the first play,” Pearsall told NBC Sports Bay Area after game. “But after that it felt more normal.”
The 49ers Faithful in attendance at Levi’s Stadium stood and cheered for the rookie’s first catch, so much that members of offense had to urge the crowd to quiet down so they could hear their next play call.
Pearsall’s debut was delayed by an attempted armed robbery on Aug. 31. The rookie suffered a gunshot wound during the incident that miraculously did not hit any vital organs, allowing an incredibly speedy recovery.
“It meant everything,” Pearsall said of his first game during his postgame press conference. “Obviously all the adversity I just went through over the past months, it was really good to go out there with my guys again, and that’s the refresher for me at the end of the day.
“When the incident first happened, the first thing I was thinking about was the guys in this locker room and the coaches and the entire staff. They did a really good job of rallying around me, making sure I stayed up. It was a huge blessing for me today.”
Just 50 days after the incident, Pearsall’s involvement on the offense became even more heightened in the second half of the game after Deebo Samuel left the game with an illness and Brandon Aiyuk suffered a serious knee injury near the end of the second quarter.
Pearsall ended up catching three of his five targets for 21 yards in his modest debut, but will be called upon for more if the fear that Aiyuk has an suffered a season-ending ACL tear is indeed true.
The young wideout will look to regroup with his offense in order to prepare for a visit from the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8.
