Lynch, Shanahan explain why 49ers picked Pearsall at No. 31

SANTA CLARA - The 49ers entered the 2024 NFL Draft with two top wide receivers in Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, but they needed more depth and talent at the position. General manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan believe Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, whom they picked No. 31 overall Thursday night, bridges the gap. "We know we do well when we have consensus in our group," Lynch said. "We really had that with Ricky. He's a guy who throughout the process we liked early, and it kept getting stronger." Pearsall is versatile, with experience at all three receiver positions, which makes him even more valuable to San Francisco, and he's also capable in the return game. He showed toughness in his three years at Arizona State, where he was Aiyuk's teammate for one year, and his final two seasons in the SEC. "There's not one play where you see him turn something down," Shanahan said. "He's going to go over the middle and do anything he can to catch that ball and not worry about anything else. When he's on the sidelines, he's not taking the easy way out. He makes guys tackle him, and he's not looking for a place to fall, and when he doesn't have the ball, he plays just as...