The San Francisco 49ers made a surprising move with the No. 31 overall pick, marking their first Round 1 selection since 2021. While speculation swirled around the possibility of drafting a wide receiver, few anticipated the choice of Ricky Pearsall from Florida.
Leading up to the pick, there was widespread speculation that the 49ers might trade wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel. As the first round progressed, it appeared that neither would be moved. Pearsall's selection reignited such discussions.
General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to Bay Area radio station KNBR following the completion of the first round, fielding questions about the implications of Pearsall's selection for the team's veteran wideouts.
"Well, one thing I've learned, something about the Niners and us, there's always talk," Lynch responded. "So I think when you have good players, there's always going to be talk. The thing I'm excited about right now with B.A., there's a lot of positive talk. We're having a lot of good discussions, working, efforting towards trying to get something done and we're excited to continue on that.
"Deebo is a fantastic player. Jauan [Jennings] is a fantastic player. Chris Conley is a guy who came on, so it goes on and on of the guys that we're excited [about]. We just think you keep adding good football players, and it's going to serve your team well, and that's what we know we did today."
Following their radio interview, Lynch and Shanahan addressed reporters and were again pressed to discuss the implications of Pearsall's selection for Aiyuk and Samuel.
"I don't know," Lynch responded. "I know that we're continuing to have positive talks with B.A., and we are really efforting to get something done with him. And we're excited about continuing down that path, and Brandon being a part of this team. Deebo is a part of this team, and a big part of this team. So, like I said, we feel great about that group and we feel like we just made it better with another really good addition to it, who complements the group real well."
However, Lynch did add, "You never close the door on a trade. We'll always listen, and we have."
When asked whether it's unlikely that the 49ers would trade Aiyuk now that the draft's first round is over, Shanahan responded, "I thought it was unlikely going into it, but that doesn't mean that it can't happen. So you listen to everything.
"Everything's about trying to improve our team as much as we can for 2024 without jeopardizing [2025] as much as possible. So that's everything you look into. And whenever that opportunity comes, whichever way, if you can improve your team, you do that."
