49ers excited to have Aiyuk, Deebo, Pearsall together

The San Francisco 49ers were reportedly shopping both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel in order to move up in the first round of Thursday's draft, but general manager John Lynch is excited to have both veterans and 2024 first-rounder Ricky Pearsall in his club's wideout room.

"We feel great about that group and we feel like we just made it better with another really good addition to it," Lynch said after the opening round, according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner.

San Francisco selected Pearsall with the No. 31 selection Thursday. The 6-foot-1, 189-pounder is expected to start in three wide receiver sets alongside Aiyuk and Samuel. He posted 65 receptions for 965 yards and four touchdowns in his final season with the Gators.

Aiyuk's been in trade rumors all offseason with the 26-year-old entering the final year of his contract. He's slated to make $14.1 million on his rookie fifth-year option.

Lynch believes the club is moving in the right direction to retain the second-team All-Pro.

"I know that we're continuing to have positive talks with (Aiyuk) and we are really efforting to get something done with him," Lynch said, per Wagoner. "We're excited about continuing down that path and (Aiyuk) being a part of this team."

The 52-year-old general manager endorsed Samuel, too, despite the team engaging in preliminary trade discussions to deal him to the New England Patriots, CBS Sports' Josina Anderson reports.

"Deebo is a part of this team and a big part of this team," Lynch said, according to Wagoner.

Aiyuk racked up 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns on 75 receptions in 2023. Samuel, who has two years remaining on his current deal, totaled 97 touches, 1,117 scrimmage yards, and 12 scrimmage scores.

Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.