The news broke minutes after Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that San Francisco had agreed to terms with its top selection, defensive end Nick Bosa. 49ers players report to training camp on Friday with the first practice taking place on Saturday.
The 5-foot-11 and 214-pound Samuel had 62 receptions for 882 yards (14.2-yard average) with 11 touchdowns as a senior with the Gamecocks in 2018.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic called Samuel one of the better yards-after-catch players in this year's draft class. Samuel discussed the mentality that allows that to happen.
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"Me personally, I just feel like you've got to have that dog in you," he said after being selected by the 49ers. "Having that mindset, not one person is going to bring you down, and you're going to make every catch that's thrown your way."
Thanks to the 2011 CBA, all rookie contracts are now for a length of four years. Only first-round selections come with a team option for a fifth year, which does not apply to Samuel. Having set numbers for each spot eliminates the need to negotiate salaries and only leaves items like bonus payment terms, roster bonus allocations, and other miscellaneous structural items.
The total value of Samuel's four-year contract is believed to be $7,697,356, or very close to that amount, according to OverTheCap.com. That includes a signing bonus of $3,618,076 and a 2019 salary cap figure of $1,399,519.