49ers place rookie first-round WR Ricky Pearsall on non-football injury list [Video]

Tuesday has not been a great day for the San Francisco 49ers. Shortly after star receiver Brandon Aiyuk requested a trade, the team placed first-round pick Ricky Pearsall on the non-football injury list. The rookie wide receiver is eligible to be activated at any point during camp, but will still count against the team’s 90-man roster. 

Given Aiyuk’s trade request, Pearsall’s inclusion on the team’s NFI isn’t great timing as San Francisco is a week away from the start of training camp. It was largely assumed that the selection of Pearsall in the first round of April’s draft was for insurance purposes in the event that the 49ers’ receiving corps loses one of its top weapons over the next year, whether that’s Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel. The 49ers also extended wideout Jauan Jennings‘ contract earlier this offseason, thus adding more speculation to …