The 2024 NFL Draft opened up on Thursday with reports that All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel is on the trade block.
It came as somewhat of a surprise given that teammate Brandon Aiyuk was bandied about a lot more as trade bait throughout the offseason.
But once the 49ers selected former Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in the first round Thursday night, things changed big time. Reports came out that Samuel was more likely to be moved than Aiyuk due to how Pearsall’s game mirrors his own.
As Day 2 of the draft got going on Friday, neither Samuel nor Aiyuk were moved. It doesn’t mean that something won’t have moving forward into the weekend.
Related: San Francisco 49ers draft tracker with grades
Deebo Samuel opens up about trade rumors
What was happening during the draft in Detroit obviously wasn’t lost on the former All-Pro wide receiver. Dianna Russini of The Athletic caught up with Samuel during the draft on Friday. His reaction to trade rumors was rather interesting.
“I know what’s going on,” Samuel told Russini, “but it is what it is. I’m good staying with them. I’m chilling.”
There is certainly a couple ways to take this.
- Samuel knows that he’s on the trade block and is being kept in the loop by general manager John Lynch and the 49ers brass.
- Samuel is reading between the lines and has been told that he’ll be back. At the very least, for one more season.
In reality, it’s hard to figure out what the 49ers are doing right now at wide receiver. They extended Samuel ahead of the 2022 season. Aiyuk now wants to be one of the highest-paid players at his position in the NFL. Meanwhile, San Francisco exhausted a first-round pick at this position.
- Deebo Samuel stats (2023): 60 receptions, 892 yards, 225 rushing yards, 12 TD
It is going to be interesting to see what comes of this situation moving forward. Did the 49ers create major drama with two of their most-skilled players on offense? Time will tell on that front.