The 49ers elected to address their need at wide receiver twice on Day 2 in the 2019 NFL draft. While defensive end and No. 2 overall pick Nick Bosa will deservedly get a ton of attention heading into the year, second-round wide receiver Deebo Samuel may be the rookie who shines brightest for San Francisco this season.
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar wrote about the best scheme fits from this year’s draft, and Samuel landed on the list because of his versatility within head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
Here’s Farrar on how Samuel can integrate into the 49ers’ passing attack.
Last season, tight end George Kittle was San Francisco’s most productive slot receiver, with 24 catches on 40 targets for 321 yards and two touchdowns. Ideally, in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, the 49ers will have multiple slot receivers who can threaten down the seam and make consistent gains after the catch. Samuel, who broke 21 tackles on 62 receptions last season and led the SEC in yards after catch, can work inside or as a WR2 in Shanahan’s offense, but ideally, he’ll be asked to test smaller cornerbacks inside the formation, where his toughness and running back build will allow him to extend the play.
Samuel won’t be exclusively a slot receiver for Shanahan, but versatility is something the coach wanted to add to the receiving corps. It stands to reason that the South Carolina product will fill Pierre Garçon’s role as the ‘Z’ receiver, but that doesn’t mean he won’t get snaps in the slot. Trent Taylor, Richie James, Jordan Matthews, and rookie Jalen Hurd can all play out of the slot as well.
It’ll be fascinating to see exactly how the 49ers plan to use Samuel. He’s so dangerous with the ball in his hands that it’s perfectly reasonable to assume San Francisco wants to hit him on short, high-percentage throws out of the slot. Samuel averaged 31 yards per catch on slants last season. Shanahan will certainly aim to take advantage of that.
The reason the 49ers scooped up Samuel though is because he’s not only effective in one area of the field. He’ll get snaps in the slot, but he can win outside as well to work the intermediate and deep areas of the field.
Size and speed have never been a hallmark of successful receivers in Shanahan’s scheme, although those traits help. Samuel is neither big (5-11, 214 pounds) nor fast (4.48 40-yard dash), but his skill set allows him to move all over the field for the 49ers, and his ability to get open and create yards after the catch give will allow him to seamlessly fit multiple roles as a playmaker in the 49ers’ offense.
About the Author: Insidethe49
