Ricky Pearsall is set to make his NFL debut.
In fact, the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver could take the field for the first time very soon – like this weekend, less than two months after he was shot in the chest during a robbery attempt in the Union Square district of San Francisco.
Pearsall began practicing with the team on Monday. Four days later, San Francisco general manager John Lynch was asked on a radio show if there was a chance the rookie would see the field Sunday, when the 49ers host the Kansas Chiefs City, undefeated.
“There’s absolutely a chance,” Lynch said Friday on KNBR-AM (680) in San Francisco. “He had a good week of training.”
After playing three years with Arizona State and two with Florida, Pearsall was selected by the 49ers with the 31st overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. On Aug. 31, nine days before the season began, Pearsall was walking alone to his car when police said he was shot by a 17-year-old boy who was trying to rob him.
A bullet entered Pearsall’s chest and exited his back, but missed his vital organs, according to a social media post from his mother, Erin. He was hospitalized overnight and was able to return to the 49ers facility two days after the incident. At the team’s season opener on Sept. 9, Pearsall, smiling and energetic, took part in a ceremony honoring the first responders and doctors who helped save his life.
This week, the 49ers opened a window for Pearsall to begin practicing while he remains on the non-football injury list. They have three weeks to decide when to activate it.
“It must be recognized that Ricky, after a horrible situation, responded extremely well physically and attacked the work to recover and continued to work,” Lynch said. “[He] did everything he could to the side to the point where it was time to release him and open a window.
Lynch added: “He’s been waiting for this moment for a long time. »
After tiring out quickly on Monday and taking a scheduled day off on Tuesday, Lynch said, Pearsall “stacked two really good practices” in a row.
“So we have to see how he reacts today,” Lynch said. “We will decide if he is there [Sunday]but I think the trend is in the right direction.
“I can’t say enough about the kid and how he handled this whole thing. And there’s a reason we chose it where we chose it. He’s a very good football player who we thought was going to help this team now and in the future. And you know, it could start this weekend.
The 49ers (3-3) could use some help, especially if senior wide receiver Jauan Jennings is unable to play due to a hip injury, as they try to avenge their loss to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl LVIII in February.
But Lynch said: “We will not rush. We won’t put too much on him. But I think at the right time, he’s going to contribute and contribute greatly to our team.
