Two of the notable absences from the 49ers’ Tuesday OTA session were wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings. Both players are aiming for long-term extensions this offseason which presumably plays into why they weren’t in attendance for the voluntary session.
While head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters he doesn’t make much of absences from the voluntary portion of the offseason program, he did note that rookie WR Ricky Pearsall could benefit from two of the team’s top three receivers missing practice.
“Yeah, I always think the more reps you get, the more experience you get, the more different situations you can be put in,” Shanahan said in a press conference Tuesday. “I mean, if you’re talented enough and made of the right stuff, you only get better. But sometimes it’s hard to generate those things, especially in a practice when it’s not full speed all the time and things like that. So the more reps you can get of it, always helps the right type of player.”
It’s clear there are limits to how much Pearsall (or any rookie for that matter) can benefit from OTAs since they don’t have pads on and aren’t hitting, but more reps are undoubtedly helpful for a first-year player looking to learn the offense and build a rapport with the quarterback.
There won’t be a real chance for Pearsall to climb into a top-two spot on the WR depth chart this year. He could definitely be in the mix for WR3 snaps though, and these early offseason reps will only help his ability to take advantage of the opportunities that arise later in the year.
