Last season, one of the NFL’s biggest breakout stars was Deebo Samuel, the talented and versatile wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers.
He recorded 1,405 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns, which earned him not only a Pro Bowl bid but also a spot on the All-Pro First Team.
Samuel also often lines up in the backfield, an ability that allowed him to gain 365 yards and score eight touchdowns on the ground in 2021.
He is off to a somewhat slow start this season, at least compared to what he did last year, but he rose to the occasion in the 49ers’ big win over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday with 115 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Steve Young, the team’s Hall of Fame quarterback from the late 1980s and 1990s, gave Samuel some massive praise, as he compared him to the greatest wideout of all time and one of his former teammates.
“How many times have you seen Jerry go to the ground when catching the ball?” Young asked KNBR’s Tom Tolbert and Adam Copeland. “… And Jerry had the ability to make people miss. … Deebo has many of the same qualities, but if you ever meet Deebo, he has the body, the torso of—I’m going to overstate it—but an offensive lineman.”
Rice Was An Absolute Beast
San Francisco drafted Rice in 1985, and he quickly became a San Francisco treat.
In just his second season, he exploded for 1,570 yards and 15 touchdowns, both of which led all wideouts in the NFL that year, and it wasn’t long before he became a fixture in both the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro First Team.
He was a master of not just running routes, but also gaining separation from his nearest defender when hauling in a catch, allowing him to add massive yardage after receptions.
Rice’s excellence helped the 49ers win three Super Bowls during his time with the team, and by the time he won his third in the 1994 season, he was widely considered the greatest ever at his position.
Samuel may not end up matching Rice’s long and wide list of accomplishments, but he does appear to have at least some of his same skills, as Young talked about.
Deebo Samuel reminds us of somebody… pic.twitter.com/eANqnRtJSc
— KNBR (@KNBR) October 5, 2022
Samuel’s ability to evade tackles and extend plays after the catch is one of the things that makes him a special player.
Deebo Samuel averaged 10.8 YAC per reception last year, by far the highest amount by any player on record (PFF's data goes back over 15 years).
Samuel is historically good with the ball in his hands and also historically versatile: 1,500 receiving/500 rushing yard club
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) August 1, 2022
The 49ers have arguably the best defense in the league right now, but their offense, especially their pass offense, is struggling, and Samuel has the ability to help turn that around.
It’s Time For Samuel To Turn Things Up
As well as Samuel played in Week 4, he was relatively quiet in the first three games of this season.
He had just 44 receiving yards in Week 2 versus the Seattle Seahawks, and when San Francisco lost to the Chicago Bears in Week 1, Samuel caught only two of the seven passes he was targeted on and tallied only 14 yards in the air.
The Niners are 22nd in third-down conversion rate, 24th in total yards, 26th in passing yards and 27th in passing touchdowns and points scored.
Yes, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk need to produce more, but if Samuel starts putting up 100-yard games with more regularity, he can give single-handedly give them an offensive tune-up.
NEXT: 49ers Need George Kittle To Return To Form