When the 2022 NFL Draft began, the San Francisco 49ers were without a first-round pick.
However, this was because they traded it last year to move up, drafting quarterback Trey Lance with their 2021 pick.
But San Francisco could have gotten a first-round pick in this year’s draft.
They had Deebo Samuel and Jimmy Garoppolo, two players they need to trade.
While Garoppolo wouldn’t fetch them a first-round pick, they could have gotten something in return for the quarterback.
However, Samuel was the key player that San Francisco could have used to get draft picks.
It also helps that he wants to be traded by the 49ers.
Deebo Samuel is still "dug in" on leaving the 49ers, per @JFowlerESPN
He knows his trade request could "drag out for a while" pic.twitter.com/CZRhoKkhyH
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 1, 2022
But will the 49ers holding back on trading Garoppolo and Samuel hurt them in 2022?
Samuel And Garoppolo Could Derail 49ers’ Playoff Hopes
These two players hold all the cards in San Francisco.
Garoppolo’s contract is sucking money out of the 49ers’ salary cap they could have used to keep Samuel.
Without that new contract before free agency started, Samuel felt the team didn’t respect him, in a way.
Now, he wants to be traded while the 49ers are oddly keeping him around.
On the one side, keeping him makes sense.
However, if he’s willing to hold out and refuses to play, you’re keeping him around and not getting anything from him.
That’s why San Francisco should have traded him in this year’s draft, hoping to draft his replacement now rather than later.
One player wants out of San Francisco while the other takes away valuable money for additional weapons.
Those things could lead to a derailment of the 49ers’ playoff hopes in a division with the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals.
San Francisco Made Some Odd Draft Moves
The 49ers needed to wait until deep into the second round before making their first draft pick.
With that pick they drafted edge rusher Drake Jackson, who will work alongside Nick Bosa on defense.
Life Is Good
Welcome to the family, @The99Athlete 🙌 #49ersDraft pic.twitter.com/T1TV1aUGYh
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) April 30, 2022
The pick helps an already stacked defensive front line.
However, they waited until late in the third round to draft a receiver with their pick of Danny Gray.
But the oddest move was San Francisco drafting quarterback Brock Purdy in the seventh round.
If the team is keeping Garoppolo and Lance, why draft a quarterback?
It would have only made sense to draft a quarterback after trading Jimmy G.
However, they opted to draft that backup quarterback now instead of later.
While Jackson is a skillful player that will help the defensive line, the 49ers had other pressing needs to address.
Most of the moves were odd because they waited late to draft needed positions, like offensive line and cornerback.
But they wasted no time to bulk up their already dominant defensive line.
Moves like these should make fans of the 49ers question what management is doing.
Sometimes it’s not about getting the best overall player, it’s about filling needs with the best player.
An edge rusher isn’t the biggest need for San Francisco for 2022.
However, only when the 2022 season begins can we see how badly the 49ers potentially botched this 2022 NFL Draft.
