Entering their second season together, the chemistry is growing between 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and sophomore wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.
Purdy says it is something that didn’t come without plenty of work from the second-year wideout.
“In our offense it’s usually steps, timing, you’re breaking at a certain angle and last year Ricky was raw with his talent,” Purdy told reporters after Friday’s practice. “He had it, but he also had to learn our system, our timing, and where I’m throwing the ball. He’s got a lot of shimmy, which is great. We need that, specifically against man coverage to create separation and we love that.”
Purdy says last season there were times where Pearsall, who was a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, felt he was open, but the timing was off as he continued to adjust to San Francisco’s system.
“I think that there were sometimes where he had to learn that he you couldn’t take a couple more steps and then break out, I need you there now, I need to get the ball out now,” Purdy said. “We had a couple of those moments and there were times where he took it a little deeper and then broke open. He was like, ‘dude I was open.’ I said in the timing of the play, I needed it quicker.
“So, we had moments like that, and that’s part of getting to the NFL, learning the system, a quarterback and a receiver talking and getting to know each other.”
But the 25-year-old quarterback says the two’s chemistry has really taken strides over the past year and it was noticeable towards the end of the season.
“I think towards the end of the last season, you saw Ricky come out his shell, he was playing within our system and timing, so he is going to continue to learn who he is as a receiver and what his strengths are and I’m going to continue to learn with him and that excites me. So, I think we’ve gotten some pretty good work so far and we’re just going to continue to chip away at it.”
One of those games at the end of the season was a standout eight reception, 141-yard performance against the Detroit Lions from Pearsall – something 49ers fans are hoping will be a constant for years to come.
As the chemistry continues to build between the two, the potential does the same and that’s an exciting thought.
Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast
Read the full article here