There is no shortage of star power on the San Francisco 49ers roster. It's a team that features playmakers at nearly every position. On offense, you have wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. There's tight end George Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey too.
There is no doubt that rookie quarterback Brock Purdy was the team's offensive breakout star in 2022. But what about next season? Who is the under-the-radar player who could surprise some people in 2023?
"I'm really looking forward to seeing [RB] Ty Davis-Price," Samuel told Matthew Berry and Jay Croucher on NBC's Fantasy Football Happy Hour, "how he approaches the offseason, how he's going to approach this coming year with not having much time on the field this year."
San Francisco made Davis-Price a third-round draft pick out of LSU last year. He carried the football only 34 times for 99 rushing yards through his limited playing time in six game appearances. The 49ers expected to use the rookie running back more this season, but an injury changed things.
"There was a great chance after Week 2 in the Seattle game that he was going to start or at least finish the game with the bulk of the carries versus Denver, and he got a high-ankle sprain in Week 2 in the second quarter," head coach Kyle Shanahan said in December.
Davis-Price was inactive for the next three games, returning in Week 6.
"When Ty came back is when Elijah [Mitchell] was healthy, and he wasn't getting those over Elijah," Shanahan continued. "Then we had Christian [McCaffrey] and Elijah. J.P. [Mason] had already made his role as the third guy for special teams, and that wasn't going to change. Then when Elijah got hurt, Ty got an opportunity to get up, but he was behind J.P. at that moment, so he missed his opportunity because of the injury."
Samuel is excited to see if Davis-Price gets another opportunity to prove himself in 2023.
"I mean, the team has high expectations for him," Samuel said. "We drafted him in the third round, so I'm just ready to see how he comes back from this year."
Podcast: 49ers' Deebo Samuel out of shape last year, led to "awful" year
By Rohan Chakravarthi
Jun 6
Rohan Chakravarthi and Marco Martinez discuss the San Francisco 49ers minicamp, as well as comments from Deebo Samuel and other 49ers players.
The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below.
You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our
Could 49ers RB Jordan Mason be Christian McCaffrey's primary backup in 2023?
By Rohan Chakravarthi
Jun 4
The San Francisco 49ers added a duo of running backs prior to last season by selecting Tyrion Davis-Price in the third round and signing Jordan Mason as an undrafted free agent.
Despite an injury to Elijah Mitchell in Week 1, neither running back saw an enhanced role, although Mason looked the part in training camp and the preseason.
When provided an opportunity later in the season, Mason shined, averaging six yards per carry, while being used as a "closer" in certain situations for the 49ers.
After a productive Year 1 with limited opportunities, can Jordan Mason climb the depth chart and potentially unseat Elijah Mitchell to become Christian McCaffrey's primary backup in
49ers Mailbag: What happens if Sam Darnold beats out Trey Lance? Which rookie will play the most in 2023? Which question stumped us?
By Marc Adams
May 31
What happens if Sam Darnold beats out Trey Lance? We're answering this question and others in this week's edition of the 49ers Webzone Mailbag.
It's week two of OTAs, and the 49ers will have a session open to the media on Wednesday. It may even be happening as you're reading this. And Brock Purdy is believed to start throwing a ball this week (though probably not a regular football).
But for now, ignore those reports, and let's jump into our latest mailbag and answer your questions.
Who's starting on Opening Day at FS? - Chris W.
The 49ers re-signed veteran free safety Tashaun Gipson to a one-year deal and drafted Penn State safety Ji'Ayir Brown back in April. Brown is the future starting free safety. That future is most likely to
49ers WR Deebo Samuel rips his 2022 performance: 'It was awful'
By Kirk Larrabee
Jun 6
Deebo Samuel made it clear Tuesday he's on a mission to erase all memories of his performance during the 2022 season, which he feels was nowhere near his previously established level of play.
The 49ers' standout wide receiver/running back addressed that performance during a press conference on Day 1 of 49ers mandatory minicamp. He did not hold back when issuing a critique of how things went for him in 2022.
"Oh, it was awful," Samuel said. "Every aspect."
Samuel, 27, caught 56 passes for 632 yards in 13 games last season while rushing for 232 yards and three touchdowns on 42 carries. There were moments on the field when Samuel certainly made his presence felt, but overall he fell short of making the type of impact he made in 2021, when he caught 77
