Things are starting to heat up around the 2024 NFL Draft, with the 49ers attempting to move up.
The Niners have had conversations with several teams, including one that has a top-10 pick, about a potential deal that would involve Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel in order to get better draft positioning, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported.
The San Francisco Chronicle’s Michael Silver reported that teams have been asking about Samuel’s availability during the course of trade talks surrounding Aiyuk, but indicated that San Francisco would have to be “blown away by the offer” to deal Samuel.
The 49ers have the No. 31 overall pick in the draft Thursday night after reaching the Super Bowl, where they fell to the Chiefs in overtime.
While the 26-year-old Aiyuk is coming off the best season of his career in 2023, he is entering the final year of his rookie deal after the Niners picked up his fifth-year option.
In 2023, Aiyuk had 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns, and general manager John Lynch said shortly before the draft that the team is “focused on BA being part of us,” according to The Athletic.
Last week, Aiyuk’s agent refuted a report that the receiver had requested a trade out of the Bay Area.
Samuel has two more seasons left on his contract, and he is coming off a season where he battled injury but recorded 60 catches for 892 yards and a touchdown.
Should the 49ers move up, it could put them in play for one of the top receivers that are expected to go in the first round, including Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., LSU’s Malik Nabers and Washington’s Rome Odunze.