Why Ricky Pearsall's Major Dip In Production Doesn't Worry 49ers' Kyle Shanahan

Why Ricky Pearsall's major dip in production doesn't worry 49ers' Kyle Shanahan originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• Programming note: Watch Matt Maiocco’s “49ers Game Plan” interview with Kyle Shanahan at 11 p.m. PT on Friday on NBC Sports Bay Area.

49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was among the NFL’s leading receivers over the first three games of the 2025 season.

But since he returned from sitting out six games with a knee injury, Pearsall’s statistics have taken a major dip.

Pearsall has just five receptions for 20 yards in the past three games while playing nearly 80 percent of the 49ers’ offensive snaps.

That means little to 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.

“How I look at a guy is how do they block? How do they run their routes? Are they beating man coverage? Are they getting into the right spots?” Shanahan told NBC Sports Bay Area on the latest episode of “49ers Game Plan.” “We grade a guy for every play. I’m usually pretty unaware of the stats. I always get them (stat sheet) after games and always learn them, but I never judge a guy by his stats.”

Shanahan likened the offensive production of a wide receiver to the defensive chances of a baseball infielder. If the ball is not hit to a shortstop, he will not have any opportunities to field the ball.

Pearsall got off to a hot start this season. He had 16 receptions for 281 yards through three games before sustaining an injury to his posterior cruciate ligament in the 49ers’ Week 4 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He was sidelined for six games before making his return in a game against Arizona, in which he was held without a reception.

In the 49ers’ Week 12 game against Carolina, Pearsall did his job and “just a couple things were off,” Shanahan said.

If the ball had gone Pearsall’s way as it should have, Shanahan said he could have produced more than 100 yards receiving and a couple of touchdowns.

Pearsall, the 49ers’ first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and Jauan Jennings are the 49ers’ top two wide receivers. They have earned extensive playing time over Kendrick Bourne and Demarcus Robinson.

And it does not appear as if Pearsall has done anything to lead to a reduction in his playing time, as Shanahan explained.

“Now, if there’s a number of times we’ve gone to him in man (coverage) and he’s getting beat and not getting open, if he’s got a number of drops, if he’s busting his routes and not getting to the right spots, those are all things that need to change in order to improve your numbers,” Shanahan said. “But sometimes it just ebbs and flows like that.”

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