49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo excited about impact of Jalen Hurd, Deebo Samuel

Share

The relationship between a quarterback and his wide receivers is one of the most important within a football organization, at any level. For rookie wideouts, it is especially imperative that they establish a rapport with their franchise QB if they want consistent targets.

Both Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd were drafted by the 49ers in 2019 after dynamic college careers, and it appears each has grabbed the attention of Jimmy Garoppolo in their first NFL training camp experience.

Jimmy G joined KNBR on Wednesday and waxed poetic about two of his youngest weapons on the offense.

“A little different types of receivers between the two of them, but both, if you put them in spots to be successful, they’re going to make you look good as a quarterback,” Garoppolo said.

“They don’t let the ball get into their body, they use their hands. Those are all traits that you don’t usually see out of rookies, but it’s very encouraging and they’re both so raw right now, which is good and bad, but it’s exciting because there’s so much more room for them to grow.”

Hurd has been especially impactful this preseason despite limited touches, as the Baylor product has had two of his three receptions go for touchdowns. Samuel has hauled in four catches for 88 yards, the second-most receiving yards on the team through three preseason games.

Both figure to be a factor in the 49ers’ offensive game plan for 2019, especially with Trent Taylor likely missing the season opener. The preseason has given 49ers fans a preview, with Samuel gaining 59 yards rushing on a pair of reverse-type plays, and Hurd showing off his power in barreling through a Cowboys defender at the goal line for one of his two touchdowns.

https://twitter.com/NinerAlex/status/1163730011586621440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

A back issue has kept Hurd sidelined recently, however, and his status for Week 1 remains murky.

[RELATED: 49ers vs. Chargers live stream: How to watch NFL preseason game online]

Nevertheless, it has to boost morale across the positional group when a quarterback has such promising words for his young teammates.

Contact Us