49ers roster: Deebo Samuel will carry unprecedented attention in 2022

How Deebo Samuel actually improves for 49ers in 2022

Look, if you watched Deebo Samuel play for any length last year, you can already attest to just how much he helped carry San Francisco’s offense, especially down the stretch when quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and Co. were largely struggling to move the ball and score with regularity.

As such, one might not think there’s a lot of room for improvement. However, there are a few aspects where it might be possible to see the 26 year old get even better.

For starters, having second-year quarterback Trey Lance at the helm might actually help, not hinder Samuel. Remember, Samuel’s Week 1 touchdown against the Detroit Lions? Well, it was a touchdown, but Garoppolo drastically underthrew that ball:

Arguably, Samuel’s own playmaking abilities and some Detroit gaffes led to the touchdown.

Lance, meanwhile, has a vastly stronger arm than his predecessor, so one is much more likely to watch the second-year signal-caller hit Samuel in stride on deep plays, such as that memorable Week 17 touchdown against the Houston Texans:

This isn’t the only area in which Samuel could emerge as more potent a threat.

If there’s been a notable knock against the wide receiver over his career, aside from injuries, it’s that Samuel has had the tendency to drop passes, 10 last year on 121 targets, equating to an 8.3 drop percentage.

Good hands can be a tricky thing to evaluate — they’re either good or they’re not — yet the hope for Samuel is to cut down on this number, thereby allowing his skill set to take over once the ball is in his hands.

There are some worries, though.