The San Francisco 49ers' 2024 draft class has excelled during the preseason, but one member of that eight-strong group has been conspicuous by his absence.
First-round receiver Ricky Pearsall missed the entirety of the preseason with a shoulder injury. Speaking after the 49ers' preseason finale with the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday, head coach Kyle Shanahan described Pearsall's issue as a shoulder subluxation, which is when the ball of the shoulder partially slides out of the socket and then pops back into place.
Pearsall suffered his latest subluxation on August 6. He previously suffered one during the offseason workout program but continued to practice. The 49ers were aware of Pearsall's problems with subluxations before they took him with the 31st overall pick.
Said Shanahan:
"He did it in college I think his junior year. About 50% of the people coming out of college do that. That wasn't really the problem. He did it in OTAs for the first time with us. When you do that, it's tender. Then he redid it here a couple weeks ago. It makes it tender, so you want to give him time to come back from it. It's probably happened to 80% of the guys on our team at some time. It's just a pretty normal thing."
The fact the 49ers drafted him despite those issues is a reflection of their comfort level with the injury and their belief in Pearsall's talent, which they will get to see in practice this coming week.
Shanahan confirmed in a Sunday conference call with local media that Pearsall will return to practice on Monday.
When he does so, he will have a lot of catching up to do.
Pearsall was reported to be building an impressive rapport with Brock Purdy during the workout program, taking advantage of the reps he received in Brandon Aiyuk's absence.
Aiyuk is still not practicing with the team as his lengthy contract impasse with the 49ers continues. However, Pearsall has arguably fallen behind another rookie receiver in the form of fourth-round pick Jacob Cowing, who followed up an impressive showing against the New Orleans Saints with a touchdown in the 24-24 tie with the Raiders.
But if Pearsall can quickly get himself back up to speed and avoid any further issues, then his presence and the progress made by Cowing will make the 49ers feel much better about a position that has come under significant scrutiny in a turbulent offseason for San Francisco.
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