Deebo Samuel

Kyle Shanahan has always taken advantage of Samuel's elusiveness and tackle-breaking, but it wasn't until last season that the Niners fully unleashed him. The 2019 second-round pick is merely average in terms of height (6-0) and timed speed (4.48 40), which is enough to get the job done given that he's 215 pounds with the ferocity of a running back and the route-running skills of a veteran wideout. While it's the rushing workload that makes him different, Samuel's biggest impact last year was chunk gains in the passing game, including five of 50-plus yards over the first two months. Shanahan was rewarded for diversifying Samuel's role, with the wideout's aDOT rising from a freakishly low 2.2 in 2020 to a normal-ish 8.4 in 2021. He still got screens and shovel passes, but with more opportunities in the intermediate and deep areas as well. Then, in the second half of the year, Samuel took RB snaps to help the team deal with injuries -- a role he handled so well that it continued even when Elijah Mitchell got healthy. There are some potential issues ahead, starting with Samuel's trade request amidst unproductive negotiations on a contract extension. He'll have a new offensive coordinator either way after Mike McDaniel left for Miami, but a trade would mean also separating from Shanahan, who helped Samuel average 10.6 YPT and 6.8 YPC over his first three years. A trade would make it extra difficult to avoid regression on the first-rate efficiency, though it might also lead to more targets. Read Past Outlooks