5 takeaways from 49ers NFC Championship win vs. Packers
By Chris Wilson
No. 4: Wide Receiver Deebo Samuel Is a Unique Weapon
Kyle Shanahan has blurred the lines between positions on offense for the San Francisco 49ers in 2019, essentially creating a “positionless” offense. Perhaps no other player epitomizes that better than rookie wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
Samuel wasn’t San Francisco’s No. 1 star in the game, of course. But with the Niners not needing to pass a lot at all during the contest—quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo attempted just eight passes in the gam—Samuel still found ways to impact the offense in a big manner.
He hauled in two of Garoppolo’s eight pass attempts for 46 yards, which was crucial. But Shanahan also used Samuel as yet another running back, featuring him on two end-around rushes that netted a total of 43 yards.
On both carries, there was essentially nothing the Packers could do to prevent Samuel from picking up huge gains.
Samuel was more than happy to act as a blocker, as well.
“I think our mentality is, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’,” Samuel told reporters after the game. “I ain’t got no problem going out there and being scrappy with the defense and blocking for the running back. They do it for us when we have a pass thrown down.”
Pretty good return from San Francisco’s Round 2 NFL Draft pick from 2019.