Bucky Brooks discusses why the 49ers drafted Ricky Pearsall as a reaction to their Super Bowl loss.
Bucky Brooks of NFL Network feels Ricky Pearsall will create possibilities for head coach Kyle Shanahan. He believes that drafting the rookie was in response to the San Francisco 49ers’ Super Bowl 58 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. During the “NFL Fantasy Football Show,” Brooks suggested that the rookie wide out will address some issues the 49ers offense has with man coverage.
“I think it’s a direct reaction to the Super Bowl,” Brooks explained.
The 49ers were confident going into the game, believing they had a great game plan for the Chiefs, who had defeated them in the Super Bowl only four years before. However, Shanahan was forced to leave the game following another heartbreaking setback.
“But he also walked away knowing that now that we lost this game like this, everybody’s going to play us the same way, meaning everyone’s going to play man-to-man against the 49ers because man-to-man took away the layups that were going to Brock Purdy,” Brooks said. “In the first quarter, as they went up and down the field, they struck the middle of the seam or something. Kansas City instantly turned to man and said, ‘Hey, we have to take these away.’
“What occurred was they discovered that Deebo Samuel couldn’t get open against man coverage. Brandon Aiyuk did not receive the production. He was getting open, but he didn’t get any production.”
This revelation prompted the 49ers to add another weapon to their already great wide receiver roster. While most anticipated the team to address the offensive line with the No. 31 overall choice, San Francisco chose Pearsall.
“Well, Kyle Shanahan wanted another route runner to fill out the wide receiver corps,” Brooks said. “It’s Ricky Pearsall. So, when they face teams that try to play man-to-man, they’ll have more alternatives because, remember, that wasn’t even Kansas City. If you look back at Cleveland, they halted the Niners offense by playing man-to-man on almost 60% of their snaps.
“Shanahan expects to face more one-on-one matches. He wanted a route runner. Ricky Pearsall is a route runner. That’s why he wanted to take him so early.
Leave a Reply