There were a pair of silver linings for the 49ers in their Super Bowl 54 loss to the Chiefs. One of them was wearing No. 97. The other was wearing No. 19.
San Francisco’s top two picks in the 2019 draft were consistently excellent throughout the biggest game of their lives, providing a lot of optimism on both sides of the ball for the 49ers moving into the future.
Bosa had a sack, five tackles, a forced fumble and a pass breakup, but he wreaked more havoc than those stats indicate. He was a regular presence in Kansas City’s backfield and made Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes uncomfortable throughout the contest.
Bosa recorded an absurd 12 quarterback pressures, which tied the single-game high for the 2019 season according to Pro Football Focus. His 90.1 PFF grade was his third-highest for the season. This was a large reason why a high-octane Chiefs offense had only 10 points late into the fourth quarter.
Samuel didn’t have as dominant of a game, but his value as a versatile, play-making weapon was apparent. He caught five balls for 39 yards on a team-high nine targets, and tacked on 53 rushing yards on three attempts. His 53 rushing yards were the most ever by a receiver in a Super Bowl.
San Francisco made a concerted effort to get Samuel the ball and the rookie answered the bell. The big-picture takeaway though is that the 49ers finally have a secondary playmaker on the perimeter to pair with George Kittle. They needed Samuel to thrive after Dante Pettis’ sudden decline in his second season, and Samuel turned in one of the best seasons ever by a 49ers rookie receiver, and capped it with a strong showing in the Super Bowl.
The 49ers needed to hit a home run with their top picks in the 2019 draft. Bosa and Samuel were both excellent through the regular season, and if they continue growing as players, they’ll help San Francisco get back to the Super Bowl sooner than later.