49ers news: Biggest storylines from Day 1 of 2022 NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
49ers Round 1 NFL Draft news: No Jimmy Garoppolo trade, but the door is open
Before Deebo Samuel took over all San Francisco news in the weeks before the NFL Draft, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo commanded all the trade speculation that could have been, even after the 49ers failed to move him at the start of the league new year despite a massive quarterbacking carousel.
The 2022 draft is weak at quarterback, which is nothing new to state, but with a number of teams likely on the hunt for a prospective signal-caller, someone was going to reach, right?
Well, no.
The only first-round quarterback selected was Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, going No. 20 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers, meaning there’ll likely be a run on day two of the draft for many of those same quarterback-needy teams.
Except the Carolina Panthers, who despite owning the No. 6 overall pick, aren’t poised to select again until Round 4.
Carolina could have grabbed a quarterback at that spot to upgrade over the flameout, Sam Darnold. Electing not to do that, grabbing offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu instead, the Panthers can either attempt to roll it back with Darnold again or pursue a veteran via trade.
Possibly someone like Garoppolo, however, Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield also has to be considered a possibility, too.