John Lynch gives much-needed update on Deebo Samuel trade rumors

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch offers an update on where the Deebo Samuel trade talks stand with the arrival of the NFL Draft. 

It’s been 10 days since the news broke that San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel asked to be traded out of the Bay Area, yet there’s still no clarity as to what the situation is during the NFL Draft.

While it’s uncertain whether or not the 49ers will entertain offers for Samuel or fight to keep him in red and gold, general manager John Lynch did indicate that the club knows enough to make informed draft decisions.

Describing the situation as “fluid,” Lynch said that he recently spoke with Samuel and had “all the information” they needed.

49ers GM John Lynch reveals that the team knows “enough” about Deebo Samuel

Lynch said that he has the information he needed for the draft, but there’s no indication as to which way Samuel is leaning. Either Samuel is using his trade request to negotiate for a better contract in San Francisco, or he’s made it clear he no longer wants to play there and the 49ers are working on a suitable trade.

What offers the best indication as to which way Samuel is leaning is what the 49ers did with the information they had, and by the looks of it, it looks a little troubling for fans of the stellar hybrid offensive weapon.

The 49ers didn’t have a first round pick, so with their first pick of the draft at No. 61, they took defensive lineman Drake Jackson.

With their next pick, they chose running back Tyrion Davis-Price in the third round at No. 93. A few picks later, they chose wide receiver Danny Gray in the third round at No. 105.

So with their first three picks, the 49ers spend two of those three on a running back… and a wide receiver.

And calling Gray just a wide receiver is a bit misleading: at Southern Methodist University, Gray “averaged 80.3 yards per game, 16.4 yards per carry and 4.9 receptions per game, leading the team with 843 all-purpose yards in his senior year.”

It’s not hard to imagine Gray could become a replacement for Deebo Samuel, or perhaps the team is even pressuring Samuel to compete for his unique position with the addition of Gray. Whatever it means, what’s known is that the 49ers spent valuable draft capital on someone who did in college what Samuel does in the NFL.