Who Should I Start? Antonio Williams or Ricky Pearsall

Tuesday, June 23, 8:29 AM

Two seasons into his NFL career, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has had a difficult time staying on the field. A gunshot wound forced Pearsall to miss six games as a rookie in 2024, and a lingering knee injury forced him to miss eight games in 2025. Across the nine games he was able to suit up for last season, the 25-year-old recorded 36 catches for 528 yards and zero touchdowns on 53 targets. Entering 2026, Pearsall looks to be fully healthy and projects as the WR2 in San Francisco alongside veteran Mike Evans. 49ers tight end George Kittle (Achilles), running back Christian McCaffrey, and rookie wideout De'Zhaun Stribling all pose varying levels of threats to Pearsall's target volume. Still, it's difficult to judge anything Pearsall has done in the pros until he can string together a run of fully healthy games. His profile is risky, but Pearsall's current average draft position of WR48 may be undervaluing his upside.