All Pro WR Deebo Samuel Calls Himself a "Wide Back"
Deebo Samuel is one of three first-team All Pro wide receivers this season, and he doesn't even call himself a wide receiver.
The 49ers use Samuel so many different ways, calling him a wide receiver is incomplete. Because now he's just as much a running back as a wide receiver. Plus, he threw a touchdown pass last week, so technically he's a quarterback, too.
Here's what Samuel said Friday about how he sees himself.
ME: If you were to meet someone who didn't know you and they asked you what position do you play, what would you say?
SAMUEL: Wide back. Wide receiver playing running back.
Samuel said that with no hesitation. Clearly, he has thought about this question before. And he is without question the best (only?) wide back in the NFL.
Compare Samuel to Cooper Kupp, another first-team All Pro this season. Kupp is a wide receiver, not a wide back. The Rams fed him a whopping 191 targets this season, and deserved every one of them because he's that good.
Meanwhile, Samuel got just 121 targets, partially because halfway through the season the 49ers turned him into a "wide back," meaning his targets and catches went down while his carries went up. Plus, Samuel had to split targets with George Kittle, who's not an All Pro this seaosn.
Which means the 49ers held back Samuel. Imagine the numbers he would have posted had he gotten the ball as frequently as Kupp, who's not as good as him?
Hopefully for the 49ers, they'll give Samuel as many targets and carries as he can handle in the playoffs. Because he's their best player, and they'll go as far as he takes them.
