Editor’s Note: This is the tenth installment of a season-long series about a breakout star from the final week of NFL action. The winner of Week 10: San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.

Ricky Pearsall’s first career touchdown came from a desire for redemption.

Just after midway through the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay BuccaneersSan Francisco’s first-round rookie wide receiver hit a throw up the middle. Brock Purdy He targeted him on the play, but the pass floated a little behind Pearsall, allowing the defensive back to break up the pass.

The 49ers still got the first down (the Bucs were hit by a defensive back away from the ball), but Pearsall had a message for Purdy: If we get a similar look, pull it again.

Four plays later, Pearsall got his wish.

Purdy threw a strike up the middle to Pearsall, who turned upfield with plenty of space in front of him. He took a high step as he gained speed. Then he put a heavy hand on the Bucs’ security. Antoine Winfield Jr. on the way to the end zone.

“It was really cool to see all my teammates running and congratulating me,” Pearsall told the team’s website.

“It was just about making a play with the ball in my hands,” he said in his postgame news conference. “Getting to the end zone. Getting my first (touchdown). That was my mindset.”

Less than three months after being shot in the chest as the victim of an attempted armed robbery, the former Florida The star had a career-high 73 receiving yards and scored on four catches in the 49ers’ 23-20 road win Sunday against the Bucs.

He had a 19.1% chance of scoring on his 46-yard touchdown, where he gained 31 yards after the catch, according to Next Gen Stats. It reached a top speed of 31.47 miles per hour on the construction site.

Pearsall also participated in San Francisco’s winning drive, catching two passes for 20 yards to help set up the game. Jake Moody44-yard field goal. The latter was a 14-yard reception against press coverage.

‘He stood out in really important moments,’ All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner said of Pearsall. “Am I surprised? No. I know what he’s made of. I know how talented he is.”

Added coach Kyle Shanahan: “He made the plays he needed to when we came to him.”

Why Pearsall was successful in Week 10

He made his presence felt among the numbers.

His two longest completions of the day (the 46-yard touchdown, the 14-yard reception on the Niners’ winning drive) came on intermediate and breaking routes. And the intermediate routes are where he made his living three games into his NFL career. In fact, he has yet to receive a target more than 20 yards downfield, according to Pro Football Focus.

Pearsall has 132 receiving yards so far this season on 11 receptions. He has been most effective in the short-middle and middle-intermediate portions of the field, where he caught six of his seven targets for 91 yards, including 37 after the catch.

Purdy has a 149.3 passer rating when targeting Pearsall at short snap (between 10 and 20 yards downfield) and a 99 rating when targeting the rookie wide receiver at short snap (between the line of scrimmage and 10 yards downfield). below), higher than any other portion. of the field, according to PFF.

Pearsall’s numbers have also improved with each passing game. He had three catches for 21 yards in his debut against the Kansas City Chiefs and four receptions for 38 yards against the dallas cowboys in Week 8 before his 73-yard, four-catch performance on Sunday.

His steady improvement comes as the Niners continue to adjust to life without a catcher. Brandon Aiyukwho suffered a season-ending knee injury in the same game in which Pearsall made his debut.

“The most important thing is to continue to develop that trust with Brock,” Pearsall said. “It’s going to continue to improve a lot.”

Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat the writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) before moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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