49ers counting on Pearsall after slew of wide receiver injuries

49ers counting on Pearsall after slew of wide receiver injuries originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• Programming Note: Watch “49ers Now” with Matt Maiocco and Jennifer Lee Chan at 4 p.m. PT today from Santa Clara, streaming live on the NBC Sports app. Watch the show later on YouTube and Facebook.

SANTA CLARA — The first pass Brock Purdy threw Ricky Pearsall’s way whizzed past his ear as the 49ers’ rookie receiver was turning to look for his quarterback.

“It was just a communication error,” Pearsall said on Wednesday, three days after he made his NFL debut against the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Obviously, we haven’t had many reps at that together, being out. I was a few yards too deep. I can cut that a little shorter, and the ball would’ve been right on my chest.”

Pearsall is trying to make up for a lot of lost time on the practice field, as he and Purdy work on building chemistry.

The 49ers planned for Pearsall to be eased back into the action — just 50 days after he sustained a gunshot wound to his right chest.

But Pearsall ended up playing 48 snaps (76 percent of the team’s offensive plays) with the team’s top three wide receivers out of action.

“He did a good job adjusting in the game,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “He went into the game playing only one spot and a couple injuries happened. You got to be prepared for next man up, and he didn’t have any busts at the new position.”

Pearsall has not practiced much since the team reported to training camp in late July. He missed the first four days of practices with a hamstring injury. Then, he was out for 19 days with a left shoulder subluxation.

Pearsall was the victim of a shooting on Aug. 31, and he finally was designated for return off the non-football injury list on Oct. 14.

The 49ers invested a first-round draft pick in Pearsall, and they will need him more than they ever could have imagined this early in his NFL career.

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was placed on season-ending injured reserve after he sustained torn ligaments in his right knee in the 49ers’ Week 7 game against Kansas City.

The team’s starting receivers, Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings, did not practice Wednesday. Samuel spent two nights in the hospital to receive treatment for pneumonia, and Jennings has yet to return to practices due to a hip injury he sustained in Week 7 against Seattle.

“There are definitely a lot of opportunities for us,” Pearsall said of the team’s group of young receivers. “Obviously, it sucks seeing a guy like B.A. go down — one of our leaders and big playmakers and one of my close buddies who I’ve known for a really long time. It hurt my heart to see him go down.”

In his NFL debut, Pearsall caught three of the five passes that Purdy threw his way for 21 receiving yards.

“I saw a lot of room for improvement,” Pearsall said. “Being out of training camp and then this period of time in the season, there is a lot of opportunity for me to get better.”

Pearsall has worked primarily split end — the receiver spot on the line of scrimmage, generally opposite of the tight end. Shanahan said Pearsall has the versatility to fit into any of the spots in the team’s passing game.

“I think he’s wired to run every route as a receiver,” Shanahan said. “Ricky is plug and play with all routes. It’s not like he has a small route tree and can only do certain things. He can run the whole tree.”

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast