San Francisco 49ers' selection of Ricky Pearsall could make life much easier for Christian McCaffrey

One of the big questions following the San Francisco 49ers' selection of Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the NFL Draft surrounded how he would fit into an offense already featuring Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.

With any talk of a trade of Aiyuk or Samuel now put to bed, there is understandably some skepticism around the possibility of Pearsall having a big role in the passing game, at least in year one, given how many mouths the 49ers have to feed on offense.

But his selection, and that of another wide receiver in Jacob Cowing in the fourth round, point to the 49ers shifting their offensive approach a little to get more wideouts on the field more regularly. The Niners have had a lot of success with the flexibility they have out of 21 personnel (two running backs, one tight end), but have still typically been more efficient out of 11, which is the personnel group de rigueur in the modern NFL.

A greater focus on 11 personnel could put Pearsall in a better position to produce as a rookie, but the numbers suggest it would also be greatly beneficial for Christian McCaffrey and the 49er running game.

Per Sports Info Solutions, last season the 49ers ran the ball 194 times out of 21 personnel, averaging 5.2 yards per carry and 0.04 Expected Points Added per attempt. In 11 personnel, they ran the ball 133 times, averaging 6.0 yards per carry and a league-leading 0.18 EPA per attempt.

While fullback Kyle Juszczyk is an extremely valuable player on the 49er offense, San Francisco's attack fared better running the ball when he was off the field with an extra receiver in his place. 

There is no guarantee of Pearsall immediately becoming the 49ers' third wide receiver, Jauan Jennings having been San Francisco's most effective receiver in their defeat in the Super Bowl. However, if Pearsall can get on the field early as a rookie and quickly develop a rapport with Brock Purdy, the 49ers figure to become even more difficult to defend out of it with their ability to run the ball efficiently and Purdy potentially having five dynamic pass-catchers (including McCaffrey and George Kittle) to throw to.

And there is more evidence that going with a lighter, and perhaps more spread out, offensive approach, could aid McCaffrey and the ground game.

Per Warren Sharp of Sharp Football, a whopping 84 percent of the 49ers' runs were into loaded boxes (seven or more defenders) last season.

That they were still able to have one of the most efficient and explosive run games in the NFL, finishing tied fourth in EPA per play, is testament to McCaffrey and to Kyle Shanahan's scheme.