The San Francisco 49ers have a stacked roster that is seemingly poised for a run at the Super Bowl championship, and it isn’t just on the defensive side of the football, where they were the NFL’s best team last season.
The Niners are pretty potent offensively as well, and one big reason why is the talent and skill of wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
Samuel isn’t just productive, but he is also explosive, and a two-minute video the NFL posted to its official Twitter account put that explosiveness in the open field on display.
Two minutes of Deebo Samuel getting the football far away from the endzone, running very fast, then scoring six points.@19problemz | @49ers pic.twitter.com/DDKC04ikF9
— NFL (@NFL) June 20, 2023
He put up 632 receiving yards last season, and the year prior he had 1,405 receiving yards while being named to both the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro first-team.
Samuel is also one of the NFL’s leaders in the category of yards after the catch, a category that seems to separate the merely good wideouts from the great ones.
But what makes him even more special is his ability to line up in the backfield from time to time and take carries while masquerading as a running back.
That ability led to 365 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground in 2021, and 232 yards and three scores on the ground last year.
For the Niners to finally win their sixth Super Bowl, Samuel will need to approach the level of production he had in 2021.
He will enjoy a full season of dual-threat running back Christian McCaffrey, who should take some defensive pressure off him and perhaps free him up a little more.
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The 49ers Will Face A Unique Challenge In 2023