49ers rookie Pearsall feels blessed to make his NFL debut after the shot

49ers rookie Pearsall feels blessed to make NFL debut after shooting originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SANTA CLARA – Ricky Pearsall's long-awaited NFL debut finally became a necessity after the 49ers' receivers were plagued by injuries in their 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Levi's Stadium.

San Francisco's first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft was on the field for 17 plays in the first half, with his first NFL reception coming late in the second quarter on a 6-yard pass from Brock Purdy.

“I definitely felt nervous the first game,” Pearsall told NBC Sports Bay Area after the game. “But after that it felt more normal.”

The 49ers Faithful in attendance at Levi's Stadium stood and cheered for the rookie's first catch, so much so that the offensive players had to ask the crowd to quiet down so they could hear their next play call.

Pearsall's debut was delayed by an attempted armed robbery on August 31. The rookie suffered a gunshot wound in the incident that miraculously did not hit any vital organs, allowing for an incredibly quick recovery.

“It meant everything,” Pearsall said of his first game during his postgame press conference. “After all the adversity I’ve been through over the last few months, it was obviously really good to get out there with my boys again and that’s refreshing for me at the end of the day.”

“When the incident first occurred, the first thing I thought of was the guys in that locker room, the coaches and the entire staff. They did a really good job making sure I stayed up. It was a great blessing for me today.”

Just 50 days after the incident, Pearsall's involvement in the offense became even more intense in the second half of the game after Deebo Samuel left the game due to illness and Brandon Aiyuk suffered a serious knee injury late in the second quarter.

Pearsall caught three of his five targets for 21 yards in his modest debut, but will need more if fears that Aiyuk suffered a season-ending ACL tear are indeed true.

The young wideout will look to reorganize his offense in preparation for the Week 8 visit of the Dallas Cowboys.