Deebo Samuel rumors may give Panthers an opening to land huge WR upgrade

The next time you hate a mock draft scenario because it looks too unrealistic, keep in mind that strange and unexpected things happen in the NFL all the time. Some draft picks and some trades sound too good to be true, but end up going down anyway. If you need evidence, just recall that the Carolina Panthers managed to get a fourth-round pick from the Dallas Cowboys at the trade deadline for wide receiver Jonathan Mingo.

The lesson is that teams get what they can get - and the IRL deals may not line up at all to what we expect to happen going into the offseason. Another bizarre wide receiver deal may be about to go down soon, based on the latest "rumors" regarding San Francisco 49ers star Deebo Samuel. While it sounds hard to believe, the word on the street is that the highest offer they'll get for Samuel is a fifth-round pick.

If it's true then our best guess is that a deep wide receiver market in free agency is putting a lot of downward pressure on Samuel's price-tag. To name just a few who are about to become available, there's Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, Chris Godwin, Brandin Cooks and DeAndre Hopkins.

This gives the Panthers a golden opportunity to lande a huge upgrade at a critical position, and at a relatively low cost. If 49ers general manager John Lynch can only get a fifth, Carolina has the second-best pick in that round (141 overall) that they got from the Giants in the Brian Burns trade. No harm could come from Dan Morgan calling to offer that pick in exchange for Samuel.

nfl — CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 09: Deebo Samuel #19 of the San Francisco 49ers completes the pass for a touchdown during the third quarter of the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on October 09, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. | (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)

The Niners should of course say no to a fifth for Deebo, and if that's their answer, then keep in mind that the Panthers also have that fourth-round pick from Dallas (No. 113 overall). If San Francisco doesn't get a better offer than a fifth there's a decent chance Carolina could put in the highest bid and wind up effectively flipping Jonathan Mingo for Deebo Samuel.

Not only is Samuel one of the best receivers in the game, he fits exactly what the Panthers need more of out of their wide receivers. That means size, catch radius, and above all else the ability to tack on YAC - a major shortcoming for the 2024 receiver corps.

If Deebo's numbers don't impress, remember that the 49ers have a bonanza of weapons and the best playcaller in the business. In practically any other offense Samuel is going to produce alot more than the 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns or so from scrimmage that he's averaged the last three years.

Even if Samuel's production stays at roughly the same level, that's a really good return for a fourth-round pick. As strong as that free agent receiver group sounds, Samuel is better than all of them and still in his prime. Even better, Samuel only has one year left on his contract, so if it doesn't work out the Panthers can get out quick and easy. If it does, they'd have the inside track to re-sign him to a long-term deal and secure the superstar wide receiver they've been missing since Steve Smith's exit.

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