San Francisco 49ers take Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall with the 30th pick in the NFL draft

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch got a text from star receiver Brandon Aiyuk soon after drafting Florida’s Ricky Pearsall with the 30th pick.

Aiyuk's message about his former teammate was glowing: “Fire pick. Can’t lie.”

The Niners ended the first day of the NFL draft by adding a rookie receiver in Pearsall and keeping its established stars Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel despite heavy speculation that one of them could have been moved Thursday night.

San Francisco is trying to get a long-term deal done with Aiyuk after giving Samuel one two years ago, raising the question of whether the 49ers would trade Aiyuk if they can't sign him or trade Samuel if they can and aren't willing to carry two high-priced receivers on the roster.

Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan wouldn't definitively rule out any potential trades of Aiyuk or Samuel but deemed it as unlikely, especially now that the first round of the draft is over.

“I know that we’re continuing to have positive talks with BA," Lynch said. “We are really efforting to get something done with him. We’re excited about continuing down that path with Brandon being a part of this team and Deebo is a part of this team and a big part of this team. We feel great about that group and we feel like we’ve made it better.”

Pearsall had 65 catches for 965 yards and four touchdowns last season at Florida and gives the Niners a possible option as a slot receiver. Pearsall was known for some highlight-reel catches during his time in college and now is the latest potential playmaker added to a dynamic offense that made it to the Super Bowl last season.

Pearsall began his college career at Arizona State where he was teammates with Aiyuk in 2019, leading to the happy text Aiyuk sent to Lynch and a congratulatory call to Pearsall.

“We have a really good relationship,” Pearsall said. “I just got off the phone with him before I got over here on this Zoom call, and he was just congratulating me and telling me over and over again, ‘You’re a first rounder, man. Soak it up.’ There's been a lot of work put in since we last ran routes together. I feel like I’m a totally different player since the last time we've seen each other.”

Pearsall got on the radar of many observers thanks to his one-handed catch against Charlotte last September that quickly became an internet sensation.

It was the more routine work that impressed the Niners, who stressed his ability to play inside and outside, his attention to detail on route-running, ability to block downfield and refusal to go down at first contact as big reasons why they drafted him.

“There’s not one play,” said Shanahan, who compared Pearsall to a far more talented version of himself as a a little-used wide receiver at Texas more than two decades ago.

“He’s going to go over the middle and do everything 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 is not looking for a place to fall. When he doesn’t have the ball, he plays just as hard.”

This was the first time the Niners had a pick in the first round since 2021 when they drafted quarterback Trey Lance third overall. San Francisco traded their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 to move up nine spots that year to take Lance, who started only four games for the 49ers before being traded to Dallas last August.

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FILE - Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (1) is tackled by South Carolina defensive back Jalon Kilgore (24) and defensive back O'Donnell Fortune (3) during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. The former Florida standout is one of nearly a dozen receivers expected to be selected in the first two rounds of the draft beginning Thursday night. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr., File)

FILE - Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (1) catches 21-yard game winning touchdown over South Carolina defensive back Nick Emmanwori (21) during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. The former Florida standout is one of nearly a dozen receivers expected to be selected in the first two rounds of the draft beginning Thursday night. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr., File)

San Francisco 49ers take Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall with the 30th pick in the NFL draft

San Francisco 49ers take Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall with the 30th pick in the NFL draft

FILE - Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Indianapolis. The former Florida standout is one of nearly a dozen receivers expected to be selected in the first two rounds of the draft beginning Thursday night. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday that he will visit U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday. The high-stakes meeting comes as Trump continues his trade war and annexation threats.

Carney's Liberal Party scored a stunning comeback victory in a vote widely seen as a rebuke of Trump, whose trade war and attacks on Canadian sovereignty outraged voters.

“We are meeting as heads of our government,” Carney said. “I am not pretending those discussions will be easy.”

In his first comments since election night, Carney said that Canadians elected a new government to stand up to Trump and build a strong economy.

Carney also said that King Charles III will deliver a speech outlining the Canadian government's priorities on May 27, when Parliament resumes. Charles is the head of state in Canada, which is a member of the British Commonwealth of former colonies.

Queen Elizabeth II delivered the speech twice, in 1957 and 1977.

"That clearly underscores the sovereignty of our country,” Carney said.

Carney has emphasized Canada's founding nations, the United Kingdom and France, since becoming prime minister after the resignation of Justin Trudeau. Carney repeated that the old relationship with the U.S. based on steadily increasing integration is over.

"On Tuesday, I had a very constructive call with President Trump, and we agreed to meet next Tuesday in Washington," Carney said. “My government will fight to get the best deal for Canada.”

Carney previously said that Canada’s close friendship with the U.S. has ended and that the 80-year period when the U.S. embraced the mantle of global economic leadership and forged alliances rooted in trust and mutual respect is over.

Trump mocked Carney’s predecessor by calling him Governor Trudeau. He hasn’t trolled Carney.

Robert Bothwell, a University of Toronto professor of Canadian history and international relations, said that Carney shouldn't go to Washington, because he risks Trump insulting Canada and him too.

“There is absolutely no reason to. You can’t bargain with Trump. His word is not his bond. It’s like writing on the water of a pond, a scummy pond. We have nothing to gain,” Bothwell said.

Carney also outlined the priorities of his new government four days after Canadians voted in the Liberals for a fourth mandate. He said that a new Cabinet would be sworn in on May 12.

“Now the election is over, and we are in a once-in-a-lifetime crisis. It’s time to come together, to put on our Team Canada sweaters, and win big,” Carney said. “Now is the time for ambition, to be bold, to meet this crisis with the overwhelming, positive force of a united Canada.”

He said that he will call for an election for a specific district as soon as possible if the opposition Conservatives want Pierre Poilievre, who lost his own seat in the election, to run in a by-election so he can sit in the House of Commons.

“No games, nothing like that,” Carney said.

The Conservative Party announced shortly after that a current Conservative member of Parliament from Alberta will resign so Poilievre can run in that district.

Carney said that he had a constructive conversation with Poilievre about Canada's strategy with the Americans.

“I am in politics to do big things, not to be something,” Carney said.

Prime Minister Mark Carney laughs as he responds to a question during a news conference, in Ottawa, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a news conference, in Ottawa, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Mark Carney waves to a member of the public as he walks through downtown during a news conference, in Ottawa, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Mark Carney smiles as he takes his seat at his first news conference since winning the federal election, in Ottawa, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Mark Carney is seen during a news conference, in Ottawa, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP)

Security keeps a person from the right-wing media group Rebel News away from Prime Minister Mark Carney as he walks to a news conference, in Ottawa, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Mark Carney walks to his first news conference after winning the federal election, in Ottawa, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)