49ers: Deebo Samuel will go off vs Packers in 2020 NFC Championship

The San Francisco 49ers will host the Green Bay Packers in the 2020 NFC Championship Game. With the spotlight firmly on Sunday, one rookie will have the game of his career: Deebo Samuel.

After the San Francisco 49ers drafted defensive end Nick Bosa with the second overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, they had to wait 34 picks for their next selection. Numerous trades and selections were made.

When the dust settled, wide receiver Deebo Samuel was still available. 33 other teams passed over the rookie out of South Carolina.

We often hear stories about players getting passed over, none more infamous than Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers not being selected by his favorite team growing up. But it seems taking Samuel at 36th overall is making up for past mishaps.

Samuel has been an absolute steal from the 2019 NFL Draft, and if just watching him play doesn’t convince you, take a look at his consistent statistics.

He’s only missed one game this season. In every game he’s played, he’s made at least one catch. Against the Cincinnati Bengals, in Week 2, Samuel caught his first touchdown pass:

https://twitter.com/49ers/status/1173308914147811328

A few games later, head coach Kyle Shanahan started using Samuel’s speed in sweep plays. It was against the Carolina Panthers when he scored his first rushing touchdown.

And every single game since their match-up against the Baltimore Ravens, Samuel has been involved in both the pass and run games.

The advantage Samuel has against a, statistically speaking, average pass defense is that he wasn’t used a whole lot when the teams first met on Sunday Night Football back in November.

Samuel was only involved in 73 percent of the snaps, his lowest total in the second half of the season. He was on the injury report for much of the week leading up to the game, so it was understandable to not put too much pressure on the rookie.

However, his bummed ankle certainly didn’t hamper his speed on this 42 yard touchdown against the Packers’ defense:

If the Packers thought this was the best the kid could do, oh boy will they be in for a shock on Sunday evening.

Samuel has only gotten faster as the season has logged on. Now that he’s a true dual-threat in the run and pass game, it’ll force the Packers defense to respect him more.

In the 49ers’ six games after the meeting with the Packers, Samuel has picked up 371 yards through the air, 128 along the ground, and has a combined four touchdowns.

The Packers will most likely focus on stopping the 49ers’ run game. As they should. The 49ers have the best run offense in the entire league, and showed it during the NFL Divisional game against the Minnesota Vikings.

They’ll also want to focus their attention on tight end George Kittle, who went off against the Packers in their previous meeting.

This gives the rookie a chance to shine on the biggest stage of the season. Samuel will obviously need to have quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo play one of his best games of the year, but we know Garoppolo can throw the ball and win games with his arm.

If the Packers stop the run early and often, Garoppolo will be called upon to release the ball quickly, with the amount of pressure he’s bound to face.

It’s the first time since 2011 that the 49ers have hosted the NFC Championship game. Whomever wins this will head to Miami, Florida to play in Super Bowl LIV.

With great expectations for the team, expect the rookie, Deebo Samuel to have the game of his life.