It's no surprise that, in the wake of losing Brandon Aiyuk to a torn ACL and MCL, there have been some suggestions the San Francisco 49ers should make a trade for a wide receiver.

Indeed, following Aiyuk's season-ending injury, A to Z Sports' Easton Freeze suggested the 49ers could be a trade partner for the 1-5 Tennessee Titans should they elect to move on from three-time first-team All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins.

The Niners doing a deal with the Titans makes some sense, given Tennessee's general manager Ran Carthon was once a prominent member of the San Francisco front office. However, the trade target does not.

In theory, there would be value to having Hopkins on the team. At his peak, Hopkins excelled with a blend of size, physicality and route-running ability that helped him thrive against man coverage. So far this year, though, Hopkins is averaging just 0.76 yards per route run versus man.

For a 49ers team that struggled against the Chiefs' aggressive man coverage in last Sunday's Week 7 defeat and in Super Bowl 58 back in February, Hopkins is not what they need. 

Additionally, at age 32, Hopkins would be a progress stopper for younger receivers on the roster likely to get opportunities with Aiyuk out and Deebo Samuel battling pneumonia.

While first-round pick Ricky Pearsall was clearly working off some rust in his long-awaited debut against the Chiefs, Aiyuk's injury provides him and fourth-round speedster Jacob Cowing with the chance to grow with more reps on the field with quarterback Brock Purdy. Pearsall had some promising flashes against Kansas City, while Cowing caught a 41-yard reception on a double move that would have been a touchdown with better ball placement from Purdy.

Even with Aiyuk and Samuel out, the 49ers have avenues to explosive plays with that duo on the field along with Jauan Jennings and tight end George Kittle. Jennings missed the loss to the Chiefs with a hip injury and his status for Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys is unclear, while Kittle is day to day with a foot sprain.

Still, with neither of those injuries considered long term, there is reason to believe the 49ers' passing game can continue to move the ball well as it has done for most of the year with the quartet of Jennings, Kittle, Pearsall and Cowing leading the receiving game until Samuel returns.

Jennings, who ticks the size box and has become increasingly adept at producing big plays, boasts an outstanding rapport with Purdy. Pearsall and Cowing now have the opportunity to build their own and set the 49ers up well for the future at the position by giving them two receivers currently under the age of 25 with strong relationships with their quarterback.

The injury situation is dire, and the 49ers would obviously rather not be in a position where they need Pearsall and Cowing to step up to keep them in the playoff mix, but there is little reason for San Francisco to jeopardize a chance to speed up their development by acquiring a veteran who is clearly past his best.

San Francisco's priority at the trade deadline should be to address the defensive line. The 49ers could put a call into Carthon about a trade, but it's more likely to be about Arden Key or Harold Landry than a wide receiver.

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Some reason for excitement.