The 49ers Draft WR Ricky Pearsall in Round 1

Huh?

This is a strange pick.

The 49ers just drafted Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who was projected to be selected in Round 2. So he was a bit of a reach. He also doesn't fill a position of need, unless the 49ers intend to trade Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel during Day 2 of the NFL Draft on Friday, which is possible.

To be fair, Pearsall is an excellent athlete who didn't play with a particularly accurate quarterback in college, so he could do well with the 49ers. But defensive back Cooper DeJean was on the board, and he's graded higher than Pearsall and would have filled an immediate need as well.

So what's the vision for Pearsall? He seems to play the same position as Aiyuk, which is split end, or X. And he's faster than Aiyuk -- Pearsall runs a 4.41. Aiyuk runs a 4.5.

It's possible the 49ers intend to force Aiyuk to play out the fifth-year option on his rookie deal, then they'll let him walk next year and replace him with Pearsall. Or it's possible the 49ers intend to trade Aiyuk tomorrow.

There was speculation the 49ers would trade Aiyuk to the Jaguars for pick No. 17, but Jacksonville traded down with the Vikings instead for pick no. 23 and took wide receiver Brandon Thomas Jr. It seems likely the Jaguars would rather have Thomas Jr. on an affordable rookie contract than Aiyuk for $30 million per season.

It's possible Aiyuk is worth no more than a second-round pick and the 49ers will trade him for one tomorrow.

Still, there was no reason to reach for a wide receiver in Round 1. The 49ers could traded down and still gotten Pearsall or someone comparable. This feels like a desperation pick, and it doesn't make them better.

GRADE: D