49ers HC Kyle Shanahan says there's nothing WR Ricky Pearsall can't do

The San Francisco 49ers bolstered their depth at receiver by drafting Florida's Ricky Pearsall on Thursday night with the No. 31 pick in the NFL Draft. 

Pearsall fits the bill of a player 49ers general manager John Lynch loves to draft and someone who head coach Kyle Shanahan will love inserting into various roles. Pearsall doesn't just play wideout, he can return punts and take handoffs as well. 

"Ricky is a very versatile player. Also has some punt return value that we think will come in handy," Lynch said. "It just felt like it was the right guy at the right time. Really excited about it."

Pearsall's collegiate totals included 159 receptions for 2,420 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns along with 253 rushing yards and five rushing scores. The 49ers envision playing Pearsall all over the field. He won't be locked into the Z, X or Y position at wideout. He can play all of them. 

"He just plays the position real well. Whether he was outside, inside, either receiver, all three of the positions, he can separate down the field, he can separate underneath. He's got really good hands, extremely smart, very well developed," Shanahan said. "You can tell he is, I guess I'd call it a gym rat or something because you can just see he's worked on his routes, put in a lot of hours because you can see it on tape and there's really nothing he can't do. He can fit in whatever role based off the other guys."

Another reason why the Niners selected Pearsall is because of his toughness and fearlessness. He isn't afraid to take big hits to catch the ball or pick up yards after the catch.