Deebo Samuel is a unique talent, and it would have taken an out-of-this-world offer for the 49ers to trade him during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
That much was confirmed when Thursday night came and went without San Francisco fulfilling Samuel’s reported trade request. The New York Jets were rumored to be interested in the star receiver, and general manager Joe Douglas fielded questions about the Samuel speculation after his team selected Ohio State wideout Garrett Wilson No. 10 overall.
When asked if the 49ers and Jets discussed a potential trade package for Samuel before the Wilson pick, Douglas played it coy.
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“Not going to get into any discussions,” Douglas told reporters after the first round, then added, “I’ll say this: When we were on the clock at 10, we didn’t field any calls.”
Per Matt Barrows of The Athletic, who cited a league source, the Jets offered San Francisco the 10th overall pick and a fifth-round pick (No. 146) in exchange for Samuel and the 49ers’ second-round pick (No. 61).
The offer wasn’t quite the treasure chest it would have taken for San Francisco’s front office to pull the trigger on a Samuel trade, made evident by the fact that they didn’t make a call when the Jets were on the clock at No. 10.
The phone remained silent on the East Coast, and the Jets went on to draft their own wide receiver in hopes that Wilson will prove to be an offensive threat in his own right.
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The Jets’ other Wilson, quarterback Zach Wilson, had previously told reporters a trade for Samuel should be a “no hesitation” decision for New York. But he also added that he trusts whatever decisions the Jets’ front office makes, whether it’s addressing needs through free agency or the draft.
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New York was forced to go with the latter, and now the team’s offense will make due with a talented rookie -- something Samuel was just three years ago.
And in Santa Clara, barring any blockbuster trade offers, the 49ers and their self-proclaimed “wide back” will have plenty to talk about after the draft.