Deebo Samuel could wind up doing something no 49ers wide receiver has done since Terrell Owens in 2003 – that’s make the Pro Bowl.
Since the Owens pick, the 49ers have selected 27 wide receivers, not including the pair they took in this year’s draft. None of the 27 made the Pro Bowl in a 49ers uniform. Neither did any of their numerous free agent signings.
Samuel’s rookie year was a good sign. that that could change. He hauled in 57 passes for 802 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran the ball 14 times for 159 yards and three touchdowns. His 961 all-purpose yards were the most ever by a 49ers rookie wide receiver.
Another stat that stands out is less traditional than receptions, yards or touchdowns. Evan Silva of Establish The Run tweeted a list of the 18 rookies to average more than 2.0 yards per route run over the last 10 years. Samuel checked in at No. 16 of the 18. Among the players above him are Odell Beckham Jr., Tyreek Hill, Michael Thomas, Juju Smith-Schuster, AJ Green, Julio Jones, Keenan Allen and Mike Evans.
Yards per route run measures how efficient a receiver’s yardage is. Volume of pass attempts matters less when the yards are averaged out per route run. That’s why Samuel can rank 16th over the last 10 years despite playing in one of the league’s most run-heavy offenses last season.
The reason that number is so encouraging is because Samuel didn’t hit his stride as a pass catcher until late last season. Over his final eight games, he had 35 receptions, 575 yards and two touchdowns. His first seven games he had just 22 catches, 227 yards and one touchdown.
It’s difficult to pencil Samuel in for a super productive second season given the drop off the 49ers saw with Dante Pettis in his second year after a strong end to his rookie campaign. However, Samuel’s efficiency, plus his growth throughout the 2019 season is promising for his future. He also produced more over a larger sample than his fellow second-round pick. While the jet sweeps and screens Samuel became known for in 2019 are nice wrinkles to the 49ers’ offense, they need a bona fide No. 1 target on the perimeter for Garoppolo.
Samuel didn’t enter the league as that, but he took major strides toward it as a rookie and put himself among the NFL’s elite in terms of efficiency in Year 1. More targets next year combined with the added experience of a full NFL season puts Samuel on track for a big Year 2 that concludes with his first ever Pro Bowl nod.