3 Most Likely Deebo Samuel Trade Destinations After Round 1 of 2022 NFL Draft

Round 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft crystalized a lot of narratives around the league. The Baltimore Ravens are still one of the best-run organizations in football, Brian Gutekunst has some sort of vendetta against Aaron Rodgers, and being an elite WR in 2022 is a better investment than Bitcoin was a decade ago.

AJ Brown was one of two big-name wideouts that was traded last night, and he immediately inked a four-year, $100 million deal.

But Deebo Samuel –– the receiver who everyone believed would actually get traded –– remains a San Francisco 49er. And Deebo has made it clear that he doesn't want to be one much longer. But after the New York Jets picked WR Garrett Wilson at No. 10, and the Philadelphia Eagles traded for Brown, two of the most logical Samuel suitors may be out of the running.

With Round 1 in the rearview mirror, let's break down the best remaining trade destinations for the 26-year-old weapon.

Deebo Samuel Trade

3. Cleveland Browns

Somehow, the Cleveland Browns have over $27 million in available space – the second most in the league. They'd have no problem fitting Deebo in this year, though things would get tricky once Deshaun Watson's cap hit explodes next year. But that's a future problem, and if we've learned anything recently, it's that GMs can clear cap space in the blink of an eye. Trade compensation is a pretty huge hurdle, as the Browns surrendered a war chest of assets in the Watson deal. Some combination of No. 44 and valuable 2022 and 2023 mid-round picks could be enough to get it done, though the Browns would basically be punting on the NFL Draft the next few seasons.

2. Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts GM Chris Ballard is notoriously frugal, but he got aggressive this offseason by acquiring the aging Matt Ryan. You only make that move if you're in win-now mode, and this team still needs a legit WR1 if it wants to be taken seriously as a Super Bowl contender. Adding Deebo is the all-in move this franchise might have to make, though it could prove to be a bit tricky financially, as Indy only has about $13 million in cap space.

1. Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens have an opening at WR1 after trading Marquise Brown. Deebo Samuel would be one hell of a replacement. The Ravens have all of their valuable future picks and could send No. 45 to San Francisco as well. Again, the finances will be the hurdle here. But Baltimore has the draft capital to get this done and needs another threat to pair with rising second-year star, Rashod Bateman.

Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.