"He’s just a godsend”: Trent Williams makes feelings known on Ricky Pearsall after 49ers WR’s shooting incident

The San Francisco 49ers selected Ricky Pearsall with the 31st pick of the 2024 NFL draft. However, the young wide receiver had to wait for his NFL debut after he was shot during an attempted robbery last August.

Pearsall was shot in the chest in San Francisco's Union Square while he was shopping. He was rushed to a hospital in San Francisco and made a full recovery. He went on to make 11 appearances last season, four as a starter.

San Francisco offensive tackle Trent Williams is inspired by his teammate's resilience and outlook towards life, especially after Pearsall said he was open to meeting the 17-year-old suspect who shot him during the botched robbery.

“It’s refreshing to come across a guy that, in this world we live in, where [there are] so many issues and everybody wants to harp on what’s going on, somebody who actually lives with forgiveness, and doesn’t really look at himself like a victim, and is still willing to share his story to help others. He’s just a godsend," Williams told reporters on Monday.

Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!

Pearsall made his NFL debut 50 days after he was shot.

Expectations high for Ricky Pearsall after emerging as Brock Purdy's top target

More than a year after the incident, Ricky Pearsall is preparing to deliver on the expectations that come with being Brock Purdy’s No. 1 target. He is expected to take on an expanded role this season amid injury concerns to Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and Jordan Watkins.

Purdy trained with Pearsall in the offseason and took a lot of positives from his unpolished game.

“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 said. "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.”

There will be plenty of eyes on Pearsall when he takes the field for the 49ers' season opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

49ers Fans! Check out the latest San Francisco 49ers Schedule and dive into the 49ers Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash