Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk's Best Landing Spots After 2024 NFL Draft Day 1

The wide receiver position was under the spotlight during the first round of the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday with Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, Brian Thomas Jr., Xavier Worthy, Ricky Pearsall and Xavier Legette hearing their names called, but there are still teams that need pass-catchers around the league.

And they may have the opportunity to land a proven veteran via trade.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported prior to the draft that the San Francisco 49ers held "conversations with teams, including with one picking in the top 10, about trading either of their prized wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel in an effort to move up in the first round."

Tim Kawakami of The Athletic provided an update after the draft:

A trade didn't happen, but the rumors signaled the 49ers could be open to trading Aiyuk—who is entering the final year of his contract—or Samuel—who is scheduled for free agency after the 2025 season.

With that in mind, here are some potential landing spots for each.

Aiyuk's future has been a discussion point throughout much of the offseason, and it reached the point that his agent, Ryan Williams, denied a rumor the wide receiver requested a trade earlier this month.

Still, there have been some head-turning developments and comments. Aiyuk unfollowed the team on Instagram and then seemed to suggest "money talks, bulls--t walks" in response to comments from general manager John Lynch.

Lynch told reporters, "We're actively talking with Brandon trying to figure something out. We have a good history of working with the guys we want to get done to get something done and it takes two sides. So, can we do that? We'll see. There's a number of different directions that it could go but we appreciate the heck out of Brandon and who he is as a player, and we want him to be a part of the Niners."

Yet there are some potential trade candidates if the two sides don't work something out this offseason:

• Pittsburgh Steelers
• Buffalo Bills
• Los Angeles Chargers

The Pittsburgh Steelers traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, leaving them very little in terms of proven playmakers at wide receiver outside of George Pickens. Yet they didn't address the position in Thursday's first round and instead took offensive lineman Troy Fautanu at No. 20 overall.

Whether it is Russell Wilson or Justin Fields under center, the quarterback will need more firepower than just Pickens if the Steelers are going to keep up with the likes of Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson in the AFC North.

Elsewhere, the Buffalo Bills need a go-to wide receiver for Josh Allen after trading Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans and losing Gabe Davis to free agency. Curtis Samuel is a solid addition, but Aiyuk would help make up for the lost production that left with two of the team's previous go-to receivers.

Buffalo and Pittsburgh aren't the only AFC teams replacing lost production at wide receiver, as the Los Angeles Chargers moved on from both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. It could have taken a pass-catcher at No. 5 overall but instead bolstered the offensive line with Joe Alt.

Justin Herbert can make almost any NFL receiver look good, but he would be quite the pairing with Aiyuk.

There hasn't been as much speculation about Samuel's future as Aiyuk's this offseason, but there is a case to be made for trading him.

San Francisco would likely get more back in return since he is under team control for an additional season compared to his teammate. What's more, it could then earmark more money toward a potential extension for Aiyuk if Samuel's future isn't hanging in the balance.

Along those lines, Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle reported after the draft that he believed Samuel was more likely to be dealt than Aiyuk based on his conversations with teams around the NFL.

So which teams make sense for Samuel?

• Pittsburgh Steelers
• New York Giants
• Denver Broncos

Pittsburgh's need for wide receivers was explained in the Aiyuk section, but Samuel would be quite the addition as well.

After all, Pickens is a physical receiver on the outside, and Samuel is someone who can make plays as both a runner and a receiver underneath and in the middle of the field. It would be an impressive combination and give Wilson or Fields far more firepower than the Steelers currently have on their roster.

The New York Giants are one of the teams that did address the wide receiver spot in Thursday's draft with Malik Nabers at No. 6 overall, but even the faint possibility of pairing a speedster like the LSU product with Samuel has to be intriguing.

The Miami Dolphins are an example of what can happen with two game-changing receivers with speed on the field at the same time. That's not to say Samuel and Nabers would immediately be Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but they would be extremely difficult to stop in the open field.

Another team that could use another playmaker in its wide receiver room is the Denver Broncos.

Denver traded Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns this offseason, leaving it one playmaker down in the aerial attack. The AFC West team will surely want to surround rookie Bo Nix with as many weapons as possible, and Samuel would be quite the weapon.

He and Courtland Sutton would be a formidable one-two punch with Samuel's speed causing problems all over the field and Sutton making plays as a red-zone threat.