The prospect of the San Francisco 49ers making a trade involving one of their wide receivers seems a lot more likely after the team drafted Florida WR Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 overall pick, and CBS Sports NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that the team has had preliminary discussions with the New England Patriots about a trade involving WR Deebo Samuel.
It was reported last night that San Francisco trading Samuel was more likely than the team moving Brandon Aiyuk, who has been linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers throughout the offseason. The Steelers are in the market for a wide receiver and have been rumored to be looking to acquire a veteran via trade, so one of Samuel or Aiyuk would seemingly fit the bill if the 49ers are motivated to move them. However, with the Patriots also looking for a legitimate No. 1 receiver for their new quarterback in Drake Maye and holding the No. 35 selection in the draft, they currently have the draft capital necessary to make a move and potentially the motivation to make a deal.
There are always a lot of trade rumors ahead of Round 2, as teams have all day to look at the board and play out different scenarios. If the Patriots were going to consider taking a wide receiver at No. 35, they now may look at whether trading for Samuel, even with a cap hit that could come in over $22 million next season, might be worth it instead.
As for the Steelers, they still could consider making a move for someone like Courtland Sutton of the Denver Broncos, a name they’ve been linked with recently. However, they also could stay put at No. 51 and draft a receiver instead of moving draft capital in a trade, especially with other needs to fill at center and cornerback after taking offensive tackle Troy Fautanu in the first round.
It’ll be interesting to see just how motivated the 49ers are to make a trade. Moving Samuel would allow them to seamlessly re-sign Aiyuk, and have Pearsall slide into Aiyuk’s role. Jauan Jennings is also a name to watch for a wide receiver trade if San Francisco wants to keep Aiyuk and Samuel, and John Lynch seems to want to keep the 49ers’ core together if possible. Still, adding another pick at the top of the second round could help the 49ers replenish some depth, potentially along the defensive line with the team losing Arik Armstead this offseason. Needless to say, the potential of the 49ers trading a receiver is one of the top storylines to watch today.
