There was a lot of trade chatter heading into the 2022 NFL Draft and there were plenty of teams made. One player that was hoping to have a new home was San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel, but no deal came to fruition. With the draft having come and gone, could the Baltimore Ravens look to make a post-draft trade for Samuel?
The week before the draft, Samuel let the 49ers know that he would like to be traded. He cited his usage on the field as one of the reasons, which presumably means he doesn’t want to play running back as much as he was down the stretch of 2021. There have also been some rumblings that he would like to return close to home in South Carolina.
Those are reasonable things for Samuel to be looking for. San Francisco doesn’t want to deal him, but their hands could be forced sooner than later. Every team in the NFL would improve with Samuel in the mix, but meeting the 49ers’ asking price may not be easy.
There were talks of the New York Jets being in on Samuel leading up to and during the early part of the draft. The No. 10 overall pick was the centerpiece of negotiations and offers went back and forth. San Francisco called once the pick came on the clock if the Jets were still willing to do a trade offered previously, but New York declined, selecting Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson instead.
With the Jets off the board, where could Samuel go? Over at CBS Sports, they made 10 predictions for post-2022 NFL Draft moves and one of them involves Samuel being traded. They are predicting that he will end up with the Baltimore Ravens.
The Ravens certainly need some help at wide receiver after trading away Marquise Brown during the first round of the draft. Their depth is dangerously thin with Rashod Bateman atop it followed by Devin Duvernay, James Proche II, Tylan Wallace, Jaylon Moore and Binjimen Victor.
The need is there and Baltimore would also get Samuel much closer to South Carolina, which sounds important to him. His physical style would fit right into what the Ravens do offensively, as he can be a versatile weapon lining up all over the matchup to create problems for opposing defenses.
What kind of deal could the Ravens put together to acquire him? A first-round pick in 2023 is certainly a starting point. A 2023 third-round pick can also be included. Given the fact that the Ravens are projected to be a solid team, the 49ers may push for the second-round pick to be included instead.
The Jets were reportedly offering the No. 10 overall pick and a swap of picks later in the draft. Sending two draft picks to the 49ers in exchange for Deebo Samuel could be enough to get the ball rolling for Baltimore.
