The 49ers turned heads at the end of the first round Thursday night. With their first selection on Day 1 since the infamous Trey Lance pick, the 49ers eschewed tackle on either side of the ball, corner, or defensive end.
With rumors and reports of them gauging interest in Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, the 49ers drafted Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall 31st overall.
Both Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch raved about the selection, and it's not hard to understand why. He passes the eye test with flying colors, all while playing in a Florida offense that brought shame to its swamp.
"He just plays the position real well," Shanahan said. "He can separate down the field, he can separate underneath, got really good hands, extremely smart... Put in a lot of hours because you can see it on tape. There's really nothing he can't do."
But with the investment of the 31st pick, it begs more questions. Would the 49ers take a second-round pick for either of Aiyuk or Samuel?
Shanahan and Lynch were noncommittal, and that's putting it lightly. Lynch and co. will be working the phones well into the night and through tomorrow.
"You never close the door on a trade," Lynch said. "We'll always listen and we have. But we like our group as it stands."
And Shanahan: "I thought [an Aiyuk trade] was unlikely going into it. But that doesn't mean it can't happen."
But only one of those players passes the smell test in a potential trade, and it it's not the one on his fifth-year option, who actually has very little leverage other than making a social media stink. Aiyuk can't actually hold out without being dealt fines, and potentially losing a tolled year of his contract towards free agency. Lynch said he and Aiyuk - who texted the 49ers "fire pick" after the Pearsall selection - and his team are having "productive" conversations.
Samuel is the one who makes sense to trdae.
If the 49ers were to trade Samuel, yes, they would take a $21.7 million dead cap hit, but they'd eat most of that this season, while also saving nearly $7 million. If they could add, say a second-round selection
Per the San Francisco Chronicle's Mike Silver, who reported that Samuel was assured he wouldn't be traded, Samuel is now more likely to be dealt than Aiyuk.
The conversations, per Silver , came up through discussions on Aiyuk, whose price tag is decidedly higher.
That would be an awfully clever way to bait-and-switch themselves into a deal for the declining receiver who takes a physical beating every season, compared to the young, up-and-coming, All-Pro 26-year-old who is a pure receiver. In other words, look out for Samuel in trade talks tomorrow. The 49ers kept the door wide open.
Could a team like the Buffalo Bills, who have a glaring need at receiver, and the first pick in round two, make a move for Samuel? Perhaps. Stay tuned.
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