The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft has passed and Deebo Samuel is still part of the San Francisco 49ers.
A lot of talk swirled around the wide receiver, who appears to be upset with his franchise and reportedly requested a trade last week. There were a couple of wideouts traded Thursday night as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced this year’s first-round picks from Las Vegas.
First, the Baltimore Ravens shipped Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and the No. 100 overall pick to the Arizona Cardinals for the No. 23 overall pick. With the move, the Cardinals have reunited quarterback Kyler Murray with his college teammate at Oklahoma. The shifty 5-foot-9 Brown set career highs in catches (91) and yards (1,008) last season while hauling in six touchdowns.
Then the Philadelphia Eagles really shook up the draft with the blockbuster of the night, acquiring premier wide receiver A.J. Brown for the No. 18 overall pick and No. 101 overall pick (third round) from the Tennessee Titans. The Eagles then immediately signed him to a four-year, $100 million extension for Brown with $57 million guaranteed.
Brown provides a decent comp for Deebo in terms of market value, though Brown has a more impressive overall body of work. They were both selected in the 2019 Draft and were eligible for extensions to their rookie deals following three seasons of service. They are also both represented by agent Tory Dandy.
Brown will turn 25 in June, while Deebo turned 26 in January. Brown has been more consistent throughout their three concurrent seasons, but Deebo is coming off a better 2021 campaign. When it comes to games played, Brown (43) has played in more regular season games than Samuel (38) throughout their careers. Brown has also averaged more receiving yards (998.3) than Deebo (869) and racked up more total touchdowns (29) than Samuel (21).
But Deebo led the NFL with 18.2 yards per reception this past season and set an NFL receiver record with eight rushing touchdowns. Brown set career lows in games played (13), receiving yards (866) and total touchdowns (eight) but still secured the bag.
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Samuel is still awaiting an extension from the 49ers and is due to make $4.9 million next season. Would the Niners have been happy with the No. 18 pick and No. 101 pick in this year’s draft for Deebo? Probably not. According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, the Jets offered their No. 10 overall selection to the 49ers as the centerpiece of a trade package but the Niners decilned.
If Deebo ends up holding out during training camp and it turns into a headache that affects his play this season, that draft haul might look all right. But if they can calm the situation and get Deebo back happy, that’s probably the better move.
Listening to John Lynch speak lately, it sounds like it would have taken an earth-shattering offer to acquire Deebo and Brown’s haul doesn’t quite meet that standard. The $25 million average annual value is probably the bar where Deebo is looking, though, if he can ever hammer out a long-term extension.
Wide receivers are clearly at a premium in the NFL these days. Six were among the No. 18 overall selections on Thursday night.
The 49ers, of course, had no picks Thursday after shipping last year’s first-rounder to the Miami Dolphins for quarterback Trey Lance. Miami eventually traded the pick to the Kansas City Chiefs, who then flipped it to the New England Patriots. After the dust settled, the No. 29 overall pick ended up being Chattanooga State guard Cole Strange, which drew a hilarious reaction from the Los Angeles Rams on draft night for being picked too early.
San Francisco is slated to pick at No. 61, No. 93 and No. 105 on Friday.
