Even to the trained eyes of a former running back, Deebo Samuel does not look like a wide receiver when he is a featured part of the 49ers’ offense.
“With the ball in his hands, if he’s not the deadliest player in the NFL, he’s one of the top,” said Maurice Jones-Drew, a three-time Pro Bowl running back.
“And I still think he’s a top-five runner in the National Football League.”
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Drew, now an analyst on Los Angeles Rams radio and the NFL Network, told 49ers Talk that he did not necessarily think of Samuel as a wide receiver when he was coming out of South Carolina in the 2019 NFL Draft.
“When I saw him in college, that’s what I thought he was,” Jones-Drew said. “I thought he was a guy, you give him the ball in space and you let him go.
“He’s 6-foot, 215 pounds. That’s a running back. That’s not a wide receiver. That’s why he’s so tough to tackle.”
Samuel was named first-team All-Pro at wide receiver after catching 77 passes for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed for 365 yards and eight touchdowns with a 6.2 average during the regular season.
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In three postseason games, Samuel gained 154 yards receiving and 137 yards rushing.
“I think he’s one of the top runners in the National Football League,” Jones-Drew said. “I think if he got the ball 250 times, he’d rush for over 1,000 yards.”