Why the 49ers’ brazen 2024 NFL Draft approach impressed Cynthia Frelund – NBC Sports Bay Area & California

The 49ers draft who they want, when they want. And they don’t care what anyone outside their building says about their decisions.

They proved that again with their selections in last week’s 2024 NFL Draft, most notably Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who San Francisco took No. 31 in the first round.

The pick initially drew some criticism, but not from NFL Network’s Cynthia Frelund, who explained why she loved general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan’s approach to the draft on Friday’s episode of “Path to the Draft.”

“Before the draft, we heard that there might be a certain receiver or one of their potential receivers on the list of people who could be traded,” Frelund said. “But you know what they did? They just went and got another receiver in Ricky Pearsall in the first round.

“I also think it’s really interesting how they amped up their whole design with things that support what Kyle Shanahan wants to do. Sometimes I call Kyle Shanahan a “liar who lies,” meaning he doesn’t tell us what he really wants. Remember, he’ll give us little smokescreens: ‘I don’t know if I’ll be here on Sunday’, blah blah blah.”

Frelund believes the 49ers have successfully addressed their glaring needs while remaining at or around their original draft positions after receiving trade offers for star wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.

“But at the end of the day, they wanted to fix their O-line, they wanted to be able to pass the ball, they wanted to give Brock Purdy a lot of options… and they did all that,” Frelund added. “I love that John Lynch went there and said, ‘We’re picking really late, I don’t care. Try trading with me. You’re not going to give me what I want? Fine, I’m just I’m going to take Ricky Pearsall .We’re in a good place here.”

Will those choices now come true? That remains to be seen…

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