San Francisco 49ers General Thread

Don Wassall

Don Wassall

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Doesn't mean a whole lot at this point but at least Ricky Pearsall is off to a positive start:

Here we look at four winners and four losers from OTAs and minicamp.

Winners​

WR Ricky Pearsall​

Eyebrows that were raised when the 49ers spent the 31st overall pick on a wide receiver, but Pearsall has already set about silencing those who questioned that selection.

Indeed, Pearsall has received praise from several teammates, with Deebo Samuel hailing his route-running and Fred Warner speaking highly of how quickly the former Florida Gator has settled into the locker room.

The most important praise, though, has come from quarterback Brock Purdy and head coach Kyle Shanahan. Purdy, impressed with the speed with which Pearsall has absorbed the playbook, has already built a rapport with the surprise first-rounder, with Shanahan describing their connection as “fun to watch”.

A string of standout practice showings in the absence of Brandon Aiyuk, the 49ers’ leading wideout from 2022 and 2023, have served to boost Pearsall’s chances of being a significant contributor in year one. While he will need to carry his positive momentum from OTAs and minicamp into training camp, Pearsall seems well-positioned to hit the ground running as a rookie regardless of his snap count.

 
Warhawk_46

Warhawk_46

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This 49ers offense is looking the best since the Patriots Dynasty featured a nearly all-white offense.

Purdy, Kittle, Juice, McCaffrey, Pearsall. Only Half the offensive line (the area coincidentally needing improvement as the weak link).

Too bad the defense is so dark…
 
jphoss

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Don Wassall said:
Here's another story about Schrader, filled with overly dramatic descriptions of his negatives. Well down in the article the 800 pound elephant in the room is identified, but of course it's a black dude who has to say it:

So why didn’t the 49ers — or any of the NFL’s 31 other teams — make Schrader one of the 257 players selected in April’s draft?

Luper, a former skeptic who became a true believer, gets it. Schrader isn’t particularly big (202 pounds) and ran a plodding 40-yard dash (4.61 seconds) before the draft. At the combine, his arm measurement (28-1/8 inches) was the shortest among 29 running backs and raised questions about his catching radius and ability to block blitzing linebackers.

Luper thinks those deficiencies helped obscure elite traits such as lightning-fast feet and X-ray vision. Those qualities explain why a back lacking blazing speed ranked second in FBS with 11 runs of 30-plus yards and was one of three players with 230-plus carries to average at least 5.9 yards an attempt.

Luper, who is black, also has said he believes Schrader’s skin color was a factor. Schrader was the first white running back to lead the SEC in rushing since Alabama’s Johnny Musso in 1971, according to ESPN. He also was just the second SEC rushing leader to go undrafted in the past 33 seasons (the other being Alabama’s Shaud Wiliams, 2003).

“He has a great story,” Luper said. “A phenomenal story. But he has a tremendous skill set.”

Click to expand...
So short arms are now a thing for (white) running backs too!
 
Warhawk_46

Warhawk_46

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Gator Dad

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I'm optimistic about Pearsall because if a first-round pick doesn't get a big role, even DWFs will start to ask questions.
 
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