Trade offers for wide receiver Deebo Samuel could fetch the San Francisco 49ers a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, according to multiple reports.
The two teams at the center of the bidding prior to the start of the second round of the 2024 draft on Friday were AFC East rivals Buffalo and New England, NFL Network and The Athletic reported.
NFL Network reported the Patriots and 49ers engaged in conversations around Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk during the NFL Scouting Combine, but compensation was a sticking point.
The Bills traded No. 1 wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans earlier this month and traded back twice on Thursday. Buffalo holds the No. 33 pick in the draft Friday.
49ers general manager John Lynch said on Wednesday that he “wouldn’t anticipate” a scenario in which the team would trade Aiyuk, who is looking for a long-term deal from San Francisco.
Whether Samuel could be available after Lynch used the 49ers’ first-round selection on Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall — a former Aiyuk teammate in 2019 before transferring to the Gators from Arizona State.
Lynch called Samuel “a part of this team, and a big part of this team” on Thursday night after the pick. Head coach Kyle Shanahan went further, saying trade talks took place when teams called but trading a wide receiver “doesn’t seem that likely to be honest. But I’m still on the table. If someone offered [owner] Jed [York] and John good stuff for me, I’m going to be out of here.”
