Deebo Samuel has proven that he can be a game-changer. The San Francisco 49ers star is more than a wide receiver. He's a threat carrying the football out of the backfield too. Once in the open field with the ball in his hands, the wideout is tough to bring down.
Samuel gave opposing defensive coordinators headaches in 2021, racking up 1,770 all-purpose yards and 14 total touchdowns in a breakout campaign. His 2022 body of work was far less impressive. That might explain why the 49ers player failed to crack ESPN writer Jeremy Fowler's list of the top 10 NFL wide receivers.
Samuel did receive an honorable mention, though.
"He's the guy you game-plan against when you play San Fran," one AFC executive told Fowler. "It's not George Kittle, it's Deebo. He can take over the game with his big-play ability, his RAC and physicality."
The ESPN writer admits that Samuel was one of the tougher players to evaluate for his list, which was put together based on a poll of more than 80 league executives, coaches, scouts, and players. That's because many view him as a weapon rather than a pure receiver.
"But he's an excellent football player, regardless of position," Fowler added.
Samuel's 2021 campaign helped earn the receiver a new mega-deal with the 49ers. However, getting that contract may have contributed to his disappointing outing last season. Samuel racked up less than half the total yardage from his previous campaign, amassing 864 all-purpose yards and only five total touchdowns. His yards per touch dropped from 13.0 in 2021 to a career-low 8.8 in 2022.
Even Samuel admitted that his 2022 production was an embarrassment.
"Oh, it was awful," Samuel said in June. "Every aspect. ... I'll never put nothing like that back on tape again."
The receiver believes that his trade request and the drama leading to his new contract were a distraction that set him back in terms of conditioning and preparation.
"I was kind of behind a ball a little bit as far as being in my routine that I'll normally be in for the offseason, getting ready to play because, like I said, a lot of distractions were going on," Samuel said.
Fowler and those around the NFL still view the receiver as a formidable offensive weapon that is difficult to defend against.
"Samuel publicly conceded that he had a down year, with 632 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in 13 games," Fowler noted. "But since TruMedia started tracing yards after catch and yards after first contact per reception, he ranks first among all qualified wide receivers. And he has six career games with 50 receiving yards and a rushing touchdown, twice as many as any other wide receiver during that span (Hill is second with three)."