The 49ers desperately need to draft a defensive end.

They released Leonard Floyd who had 8.5 sacks last season so they could try to sign Joey Bosa. But Bosa ultimately signed with the Bills for more money than the 49ers were willing to offer him, and then Floyd signed with the Falcons. So the 49ers were left with nothing.

That’s why CBS Sports Draft Analyst Chris Trapasso projects the 49ers to take Tennessee defensive end James Pearce Jr. with the 11th pick in Round 1.

“The 49ers call this pick in immediately,” writes Trapasso. “Pearce is the ideal complement to Nick Bosa in San Francisco, and the 49ers need that defender after losing Leonard Floyd in free agency.”

Pearce certainly has the potential to be the ideal complement to Bosa. Pearce was a highly productive pass rusher in college who ran a blazing 4.47 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine last month. He’s oozing with upside.

But he also has character concerns according to reports. And the last two times the 49ers spent first-round picks on players with character concerns, they drafted Reuben Foster and Javon Kinlaw.

The 49ers can’t afford to whiff like that again. They have to draft someone who’s as close to a sure thing as possible, and that’s not Pearce. No more risks on questionable players. That’s how the 49ers got themselves in their current predicament.

The 49ers need a great draft to bounce back to the playoffs after finishing 6-11 last season. They can’t get their first pick wrong.