SANTA CLARA – The 49ers enjoyed their spring fling with Ricky Pearsall, a sure-handed rookie with graceful feet ready for the NFL’s ballroom dancefloor.
Two, maybe three, months from now, the 49ers must rekindle their reliance on Brandon Aiyuk. The Super Bowl is on the line, after all, right? You can’t just break up with your leading pass-catcher, your truest split end, and your still-young quarterback’s most-trusted target.
Aiyuk’s absence at this week’s mandatory minicamp wasn’t alarming, not when he’s trying to capitalize on the NFL’s inflating pay scale for wide receivers.
Pearsall’s emergence shouldn’t have been eye-opening, either. But it was, even for a first-round draft pick.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said it was “fun to watch” Pearsall mesh with Brock Purdy, and a 49ers personnel evaluator raved about Pearsall’s first impression. Crisp routes and nifty gloves aside, Pearsall battled through practices the past two weeks in a non-contact jersey because of unspecified soreness.
“I’ve really liked what I’ve seen,” linebacker Fred Warner said, “in terms of how he’s operated around the building, going up to guys, shaking their hands, looking them in the eye, saying, ‘Nice to meet you.’ Little stuff like that goes a long way.
“But obviously the stuff on the field is going to continue to progress,” Warner added. “He can run fast. He can run really good routes. He can catch the ball well. So we’ll see what happens when we throw the pads on.”
He’s dead right. No matter how great the throw, the catch, the route, or the coverage, only so much can be gleaned during offseason workouts. “You’re not really going to prove much in OTAs when you’re in shorts and a T-shirt,” Warner added.
That especially goes for the contact-craving dudes on the offensive line, defensive line, running back, linebacker and safety. Training camp will offer better analysis when it opens, likely on July 23.
Aiyuk, meanwhile, posted a video Wednesday of himself sprinting 50 yards to catch a ball thrown to him on a youth baseball field at a city park. Presumably, he’ll be running down Purdy’s passes with a contract extension (prediction: $28.5 million annually) after back-to-back, 1,000-yard receiving seasons. If not, he could be forced to play out his contract for half that price, on a $14.1 million salary.
The 49ers at least can feel good Pearsall is integrating himself so quickly in a pecking order that also includes Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey and Jauan Jennings.
Here are five other minicamp takeaways before the 49ers reconvene in seven weeks:
1. INTERIOR DECORATORS
Once Javon Hargrave cut inside past left guard Aaron Banks, Purdy barely had time to dump a pass to running back Jordan Mason.
“He’s tough, man. He’s tough,” Banks said of Hargrave, a Pro Bowler last season in his first with the 49ers. “He’s got great leverage, he’s got good quickness, and you’d be surprised by his lateral quickness and how he can just get on the edge and just push through it. He’s definitely a hard guy to block.”
Hargrave has lined up on the first unit next to 49ers veteran Kevin Givens, but the more likely scenario has Maliek Collins as the other starting defensive tackle, or perhaps even Jordan Elliott. Those veteran acquisitions haven’t practiced much if at all with Hargrave but he sounds upbeat about eventual pairings. The 49ers also have to be excited to see 2022 sixth-round pick Kalia Davis looking his healthiest since a 2021 knee injury.
As for Banks, he’s entering the final year of his rookie contract, and rather than holding out for an extension: “I’m just working on controlling what I can control: coming in, putting good tape out and working hard every day.”
Starting next to Trent Williams for a third straight season will pay dividends.
2. TIGHT END CAROUSEL
Brayden Willis looks to have taken a sizeable step in the offense after a no-catch rookie season. Will that be enough to thwart veteran addition Logan Thomas for the No. 2 role behind George Kittle? “Brayden is made of the right stuff,” Warner said. “He’s been working really hard. He’s flashed in moments. If he continues to progress, training camp could be big for him.”
Cam Latu still needs to reboot as a 2023 third-round redshirt. Former college basketball player Mason Pline has size, stamina and natural ball-catching skills. Veteran Eric Saubert was born in 1994, when the 49ers last fielded a Super Bowl-winning team. The tight end competition should be a spectacle at training camp
3. THE STALEY EFFECT
Nick Sorensen seems comfortably in control entering his first season as defensive coordinator. That’s good because Brandon Staley’s presence shouldn’t be perceived as a threat to Sorensen so much as a valuable resource to other players. At Wednesday’s practice, Staley was mentoring rookie nickel back Renardo Green on the sideline, then afterward, it was Sorensen who comfortably took the media podium to say of Green: “It’s just the mentality and the competitiveness that I love.”
“Nick, he was born for this role. He’s a natural-born leader,” Warner said. “… Coach Staley’s been awesome as well. I love just picking his brain and being able to talk with him, learning little nuances of the game. (Staley) is not afraid to call me out in meetings where he sees a play of me where I’m not all the way on it. From last season, he’s, ‘Come on Fred, we have to get that better for next time.’ I have a lot of respect for both coaches. It’s been great.”
4. QUARTERBACK ROTATION
A fully healthy Purdy must be comforting when the backup options are not as scintillating as last spring’s choices of Sam Darnold, Trey Lance and Brandon Allen. Josh Dobbs has the experience and brain power. Allen has the system know-how and Purdy’s ear. Undrafted rookie Tanner Mordecai is intriguing – and almost two months older than Purdy; both turn 25 late this year.
Purdy’s command and confidence in the offense are striking. He’ll need to work on his deep-ball accuracy in camp if the 49ers truly are going to air it out more this season with more weapons.
“I still understand that there’s such a long road ahead of me in terms of getting better and what I need to do to get better. So that’s where I’m at,” Purdy said. “But it’s crazy, you’ve got guys that are younger than me now on the team, it’s just new. It’s different.”
5. RETURN-MAN MYSTERY
Don’t be so fast to pencil in rookie speedster Jacob Cowing as the next return specialist. A hamstring injury sidelined him the past two weeks, and he literally dropped the ball a couple of times his first time on the practice field.
If Trent Taylor proves he’s a sure-handed returner who can double as a slot receiver, that will help his 53-man roster bid (or he’ll battle with Chris Conley and Tay Martin for their old practice squad spots). Pearsall will need a shot at returns, too, since he’ll make game-day rosters.
The 49ers have not returned a punt for a touchdown since Ted Ginn Jr. did so in the 2011 opener. That job can’t be overlooked, as the Super Bowl proved with a 49ers’ turnover. Compounding the return-specialist role is the new kickoff formation, which could prove more intriguing to watch than Aiyuk’s contract stalemate.
