5. Vikings trade for Curtis Samuel
If the Panthers aren’t going to appreciate Samuel’s talent, they should somebody else do it. After giving Robby Anderson to a two-year, $20 million contract in free agency, Samuel has been pushed further down the depth chart and with his rookie deal expiring after the 2020 season, it’s probably in Carolina’s best interest to ship him off in return for draft capital.
After trading back roughly a billion times during last month’s NFL Draft, the Vikings have more than enough capital to make a deal work. They also have a hole at receiver, even after drafting Justin Jefferson in the first round. Because of his body type, Samuel has been typecast by some as a slot receiver, but his film tells a different story. He’s proven to be a slick route runner who can win on the outside and get open deep. Had he received better service from Kyle Allen in 2019, maybe he’d get recognition for it.
Poor Curtis Samuel pic.twitter.com/HVZUYzaCty
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) November 22, 2019
The numbers back up the film. According to Sports Info Solutions, only three receivers saw a lower rate of catchable passes on targets over 15+ yards than Samuel did in 2019 … and one of them was his teammate D.J. Moore. Give Samuels, who has scored 14 touchdowns on 139 career touches, a competent quarterback and a coaching staff that’s actually willing to utilize him, and he could be a star in this league.
The fit makes perfect sense for Minnesota. Samuels is cheap — he has a base salary of $1.2 million for 2020 — and adding him to the depth chart would allow Jefferson to play more snaps in the slot, which is where he broke out for LSU during his final season in Baton Rouge. A three-headed receiving corps of Adam Theilen, Samuel and Jefferson would be awfully difficult to defend.
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