San Francisco 49ers NFL Draft Live Blog: Day 1
SANTA CLARA --This is the San Francisco 49ers live blog for Day 1 of the NFL Draft. I will update this frequently with information and analysis from the Levi's Stadium media room.
4:30 The 49ers currently do not own a pick in Round 1 -- they traded it to the Miami Dolphins last year so they could draft Trey Lance. So I most likely am here for the free food only. But there's a chance the 49ers will trade Deebo Samuel tonight for a first-round pick -- John Lynch wouldn't rule out the possibility at his pre-draft press conference on Monday.
I do not expect the 49ers to trade Samuel tonight -- he's irreplaceable. Plus, the 49ers have another two months before they have to get an extension done with him. I'm guessing Kyle Shanahan thinks he can work things out with Samuel between now and then. I'm not sure Shanahan will be successful, but he certainly is confident in his relationship with his players.
It's possible Samuel simply will not budge and the 49ers will have to trade him to the highest bidder -- most likely the New York Jets, who own picks 4 and 10 in Round 1. They definitely have the draft capital to make the trade. But the Jets reportedly do not expect the 49ers to trade Samuel, either.
It would behoove the 49ers to work things out with Samuel and make him happy, because that's what good franchises do. Bad franchises alienate their stars and trade for draft picks -- see the Jacksonville Jaguars, who traded Jalen Ramsey to the Rams. Now Ramsey is a Super Bowl Champion, while the Jaguars still are a joke.
Don't be the Jaguars.
5:55 The Carolina Panthers draft offensive tackle Ickey Ekwonu with pick No. 6, which means they're still in the market for a quarterback, potentially Jimmy Garoppolo. Perhaps the Panthers will trade their fourth-round pick for him (they don't have picks in Round 2 or 3 this year). Or maybe the Panthers will trade for Garoppolo in a couple months when he can pass a physical. Something to monitor.
6:19 The Jets use the 10th pick on wide receiver Garrett Wilson instead of trading it to the 49ers for Deebo Samuel. I'm sure the Jets would have preferred to use it on Samuel, but he doesn't seem to be available despite his trade request. This means the 49ers intend to keep him. Let's see how Samuel responds.
7:51 The 49ers could have traded Deebo Samuel to the Jets for the 10th pick, but chose not to. At pick 10, the 49ers could have had any wide receiver they wanted other than Drake London, and would have had him at a cheap rate for the next four years. Instead, they kept an expensive veteran who doesn't want to play for them. Bold choice.
