After Ricky Pearsall was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the NFL Draft, a major concern was how he would fit into an offense that already included Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.
Given how many mouths the 49ers have to feed on offense, there is obviously some doubt around the likelihood of Pearsall having a large part in the passing game, at least in year one, with all discussion of a trade of Aiyuk or Samuel now put to rest.
However, his pick in the fourth round, along with that of another wide out, Jacob Cowing, suggests that the 49ers will slightly change their offensive strategy in order to get more wideouts on the field more frequently.
The Niners have been quite successful with their 21-man roster flexibility (two running backs, one tight end), but they have also generally been more effective with their 11-man roster, which is the standard in the current NFL.
While a stronger emphasis on 11 personnel would help Pearsall perform better in his rookie season, the data also indicate that the 49ers’ running game and Christian McCaffrey would benefit immensely from it.
The 49ers carried the ball 194 times last season with 21 different players, averaging 5.2 yards per run and 0.04 Expected Points Added each attempt, according to Sports Info Solutions. They carried the ball 133 times in 11 personnel, averaging 6.0 yards per run and a league-high 0.18 EPA per try.
Even though San Francisco’s offense relies heavily on fullback Kyle Juszczyk, the offense performed better running the ball when he was off the field and replaced with an extra receiver.
Pearsall might not instantly take over as the 49ers’ third wide receiver; San Francisco’s Jauan Jennings was by far their most productive receiver during the Super Bowl loss.
But with their ability to run the ball effectively and Purdy potentially having five dynamic pass-catchers (including McCaffrey and George Kittle) to throw to, the 49ers figure to become even harder to defend out of it if Pearsall can get on the field early as a rookie and quickly build a rapport with Brock Purdy.
Additionally, there is growing evidence that supporting McCaffrey and the ground game with a lighter, possibly more dispersed offensive strategy could be beneficial.
A staggering 84 percent of the 49ers’ runs last season were into full boxes, or seven or more defenders, according to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football.
It speaks something about McCaffrey and Kyle Shanahan’s scheme that they were still able to produce one of the most effective and explosive run games in the NFL, ending tied for fourth in EPA per play.
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