The Philadelphia Eagles should monitor Deebo Samuel too

The 2022 NFL Draft has the potential to be transformational for the Philadelphia Eagles.

With three picks in the top-20, four in the top-50, and 10 selections overall, Howie Roseman and company have a chance to sift through the game film, exhaust their in-person interviews, and walk away with a half dozen players – at least – who can not only contribute to the team long-term but do so right out of the gate.

Indeed this is the year the Birds get it right. They’ll fill out their depth chart with cheap, ascending talent, build on a solid first season under Nick Sirianni, and prepare to enter another Super Bowl window that hopefully lasts longer than a few seasons.

… or the Philadelphia Eagles could throw some of that draft capital at the San Francisco 49ers and trade for one of the best young receivers in the NFL, Deebo Samuel. Rumors are abound that the Niners could move on from Samuel this offseason, including word from ESPN’s Rich Cimini that the New York Jets are monitoring his availability, and if that comes to pass and the two teams are unable to reach a long-term extension, bringing the Inman, South Carolina native to the City of Brotherly Love would be pretty sweet too.

Deebo Samuel is the exact sort of player the Philadelphia Eagles should target in a trade.

In hindsight, the Philadelphia Eagles probably should have drafted Deebo Samuel, not Andre Dillard, with the 22nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Now granted, the plurality, if not the outright majority of the teams in the NFL probably feel that same way – including a few who passed multiple times, and there are, like, a million variables that make such a one-for-one swap a fool’s errand but with Jordan Mailata in place as Philly’s left tackle of the future, having an offensive weapon of the caliber of Deebo Samuel would be an amazing asset that few could match.

Don’t believe me? Well, let’s look at the numbers.

In 2021, Samuel hauled in 77 catches on 121 targets for *checks notes* 1,405 yards and six touchdowns. That’s… a lot. To make matters all the more impressive, he did so in 16 games with 15 starts while catching balls from Jimmy Garoppolo and 2021 first-round pick Trey Lance, who, by all accounts, came into the league as a raw passer.

Therein lies the genius of Samuel’s game and why he is looking to become one of the highest-paid receivers in the league, which is notably more now following the signings of Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams: He is almost quarterback proof. Sure, he’ll connect on the occasional massive reception down the field on a rocket-armed pass, but Samuel did just as much if not more of his damage on short passes, screen passes, and even some work coming out of the backfield, where his generational YAC skills and 18.2 yards per catch average can take over a game.

So, with the Niners expected to trade Jimmy G later this year and roll with Lance moving forward, why wouldn’t the team want to keep Samuel around, even at a crazy high price tag? Well, they probably would, but the same could have been said about the Packers and Cheifs too before life – in the NFL – found a way. If the negotiations go sour and general manager John Lynch feels that he can get an even bigger return than either Green Bay or Miami received for their star receivers, then maybe the idea of cashing out on one phenomenal season by Samuel might be worth it, especially since his team doesn’t have a first-round pick in this year’s draft.

If that were to happen, it’s hard to imagine the Philadelphia Eagles wouldn’t be interested in Samuel’s services, as he’s the prototype of how Nick Sirianni wanted to use Jalen Reagor in 2021 and would provide Jalen Hurts with an explosive target capable of turning bulk targets into consistently positive plays.

Would I give up as much as two first-round picks for that player? Personally? You be; Samuel is the perfect wide receiver to pair up with Quez Watkins and DeVonta Smith and, at 26, could be a foundational offensive player in Sirianni’s offense for years to come. Does Howie Roseman feel the same way? Only time will tell.

Will Deebo Samuel ultimately get traded this offseason? No, I don’t think he will. But then again, who expected Devante Adams and Tyreek Hill to be traded away from two of the prohibitive Super Bowl favorites? The NFL, especially in 2022, is very weird at the moment, and if it gets even weirder, the Philadelphia Eagles would be wise to capitalize on it in a way bigger than signing a wonderful weakside linebacker to a surprisingly low one-year contract.