San Francisco 49ers: 3 players who’ll break out in 2020

No. 1: 49ers Wide Receiver Deebo Samuel

NFL Network’s Adam Rank (yes, that Adam Rank) feels the 49ers are now in Super Bowl-or-bust mode entering 2020, which is fine.

But Rank also pointed out a few players who are ultimately going to be responsible for that to happen.

San Francisco 49ers

Including second-year wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

Rank wrote:

"If there is one player I’m looking forward to seeing take the leap in the coming season, it’s Deebo. (Who, yes, is nicknamed after the character from Friday. Samuel caught 57 passes for 802 yards and three touchdowns (with 14 carries for 159 yards and another three scores on the ground) as a rookie in 2019. This is the year for him to step up as a presence on offense, and it will be incumbent on Shanahan to find different ways for him to get his hand on the football."

Samuel started off slow last season, finally hitting his stride after the 49ers acquired Emmanuel Sanders from the Denver Broncos at the trade deadline. With Sanders gone, though, Samuel is now going to be responsible for assuming the true WR1 role the Niners have so sorely lacked in recent years.

Fortunately, Samuel has flashed all the prowess of being able to do so, not just as a legitimate receiving and yards-after-the-catch threat, but also as a running back; something Rank pointed out.

Year two of Samuel’s career will be an important one. Not just because he’ll want to avoid the all-too-common sophomore slump (see Niners wideout Dante Pettis), but also because Kyle Shanahan’s offense will be relying on the former South Carolina standout to, well… stand out.

Scratch that. Samuel will want to break out in 2020.