'Wide-back' Deebo Samuel is 49ers' ultimate weapon, Rams killer
LOS ANGELES — He's the ultimate plug-in hybrid, a player so versatile and dynamic, so explosive and electric, that he can't be defined by traditional NFL labels and roles.
"Wide-back," Deebo Samuel said with a laugh, when asked to name his position with the San Francisco 49ers. "A wide receiver playing running back."
The 6-foot, 215-pound Samuel, a third-year pro out of South Carolina, hasn't revolutionized the game — there are plenty of wideouts who have taken handoffs in the backfield and running backs who have flexed out to the slot or wideout to catch passes.
But his rare combination of speed, power, agility, acceleration and vice-grip-like hands — which helped Samuel rack up 1,770 yards from scrimmage this season, third-most in the NFL — have pushed the limits of what is possible on an NFL field.
"There's not another receiver in this league who plays like me and can do the things I
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