Niners Nation
The 49ers HC and GM spoke about their first-round pick
The San Francisco 49ers have gone off the cuff more than most teams when it comes to the first round of the NFL Draft. Thursday night was no different, as the Niners selected Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.
General manager John Lynch's opening statement on Pearsall: “He does a lot of things well. Does a lot of the things we covet at that position well. We believe we have a real strong group there, and we wanted to add another player. Ricky is a very versatile player. And he also has some punt return value we think will come in handy. Just felt like it was the right guy at the right time. We’re really excited about him.
Here’s head coach Kyle Shanahan’s opening statement: “We just thought he played the position real well, whether it was outside or inside, all three positions. He can separate down the field; he can separate underneath. He has really good hands. Extremely smart. He’s very well-developed. He’s worked on his routes. There’s nothing he can’t do. He can fit in any other role-based on our other guys.”
Does this pick close the door on Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel getting traded? Not necessarily. Teams will still call if they —up until and through their pick at 31—exploring trades forhaven’t been already:
Lynch said, “We never close the door on a trade. We’ll always listen, and we have. But we like our group as it stands.” Shanahan, after being asked now that the first round is over, are the odds of Aiyuk being dealt slim, said, “I thought it was unlikely going into it. But that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. You listen to everything. Everything is about trying to improve our team as much as we can for 2024 without jeopardizing 2025 as much as possible.
Lynch was non-committal when asked whether Pearsall was among the Niners' 22 first-round grades. It was one of the few questions he did not answer directly. Pearsall is in the 22nd percentile for weight and 17th percentile for wingspan. Shanahan said, “He’s not huge, but he’s still got a good body where he can handle any length from a corner. All of our guys who play outside can do it inside.”
Pearsall played 353 snaps out wide and 425 in the slot at Florida last season, where he was also the punt returner. He was also teammates with Brandon Aiyuk, who texted Shanahan and Lynch, “Fire pick. Can’t lie.”
Pearsall was recruited by one of Lynch’s close friends, former Arizona State and NFL head coach Herm Edwards. Lynch said, “I remember him telling me about this kid and how excited he was about him. He even upped his game against as good as competition as you’ll find in college football.
Shanahan did not hesitate when asked about his favorite Pearsall trait: “That he makes guys tackle him. You watch so many guys, and they get what’s there,...
