NFL Player Profile: Deebo Samuel
What makes wide receiver Deebo Samuel of Inman, South Carolina so special is the fact he can be an offensive force catching and running with the football. He will be counted on significantly in 2022 on a 49ers squad that will be in tough against the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams and the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West.
2021 NFL Season
Samuel had 77 catches for 1405 yards and six touchdowns in 2021. His 18.2 yards per catch led the NFL. Samuel also had 59 rushes for 365 yards and eight touchdowns. Samuel’s eight rushing touchdowns is the most ever by a NFL wide receiver in a single season in NFL history. In the 49ers opening game of the season, he had a career-high 189 yards from nine catches in a 41-33 San Francisco win over the Detroit Lions.
Leading up to the NFL
Samuel played his college football at the University of South Carolina. He was with the Gamecocks from 2014 to 2018. In his final season with the Gamecocks in 2018, Samuel was a first-team All-American at the National Collegiate Athletic Association level. He had 62 catches for 882 yards and 11 touchdowns.
In the 2019 NFL Draft. Samuel was the 49ers’ second round pick, 36th overall. San Francisco’s first round pick three years ago was defensive end Nick Bosa, the 2019 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
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NFL Career
In 38 games, Samuel has 167 catches for 2598 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also has 81 rushes for 550 yards and 11 touchdowns. It is very odd to see a wide receiver in the NFL to have more rushing touchdowns than receiving touchdowns over his first three NFL seasons.
Contract Extension
In the offseason, Samuel signed a three-year contract extension worth $73.5 million. The extension came after he reportedly asked to be traded according to Nick Shook of nfl.com.
2022 NFL season
The 49ers will be making a change at quarterback in 2022, as Trey Lance is set to replace Jimmy Garoppolo. The decision may surprise some as Garopplo guided San Francisco to the NFC Championship. It will be interesting to see if Samuel will take some time to build chemistry with Lance, after having solid chemistry with Garoppolo last season.
