NFL Draft Prospects 2019: Wide Receiver - Deebo Samuel, South Carolina
Tyshun Samuel earned his nickname “Deebo” from being bullied as a child and has kept that fighting attitude every time he's stepped on the field.
The former three-star recruit dealt with hamstring problems as a freshman and that cost him three games in year two as well. Yet, he still shared team MVP honors with quarterback Jake Bentley after putting up almost 900 yards and eight touchdowns from scrimmage plus another two scores as a return-man.
He once again was off to a hot start as a junior, but broke his leg after South Carolina’s first three games. Last season he was finally healthy and put it all together, earning first-team All-SEC as a return specialist and second-team all-conference as a receiver with over 900 yards and 11 TDs from scrimmage.
Injuries ruled Samuel’s first three years with the Gamecocks, but he was an absolute dynamite when on the field.
He ran sweeps, reverses, tunnel screens, slant-routes and all kinds of stuff, so he could get the ball in his hands and make something happen.
Throughout his collegiate career, Samuel was an electric return-man with 29.0 yards per kick return and four TDs, as well as being highly dangerous on all types of gadget plays.
At 5’11”, 215 pounds, Deebo is also built more like a running back and kind of runs like one. He doesn’t shy away from contact as a ball-carrier, lowering the shoulder and finishing plays the right way, never being content with going out of bounds.
However, he also has speed for days to run away from anybody and can shake people in space. He led all SEC receivers with 21 missed tackles forced last season.
Samuel creates separation with speed cuts, head fakes and short-area quickness. He has this sudden acceleration and unique way of setting up defenders with different footwork, in contrast to the rest of his draft class.
Samuel doesn’t mind giving up his body when leaping for passes over the middle and taking hits. He shows nice body control and adjustments to the ball in the air, plucks it with full extension and makes some catches on balls that are heavily underthrown, showing his willingness to work backwards.
The dynamic SC weapon made a bunch of big plays on deep post and dig routes across the face of the middle safety. He also drew a ton of underneath coverage and opened up opportunities for his fellow pass-catchers.
Samuel ran pretty much the entire route tree at South Carolina and didn’t seem to have problems with any pattern, plus he is a pretty scrappy run-blocker looking for work.
Injuries are definitely a major concern for Samuel. He didn’t look quite as explosive at the start of last year after that broken leg and has yet to prove that he can stay healthy in the long run.
He might benefit from shedding ten pounds as well, considering the weight he has at sub-six feet. At his size, the catch radius is very limited and he doesn’t always high-point the ball in contested catch situations.
While his experience with that many routes and alignments is a plus, you don’t see perfect precision on many of them. All that makes me believe he might be more of a complementary offensive weapon than a go-to receiver.
Deebo was sensational the entire Senior Bowl week, showing explosiveness, play strength and impeccable route acumen. He had so many fun battles with Temple corner Rock Ya-Sin and basically roasted everybody else in one-on-ones throughout the event.
He made a spectacular grab in team drills and beat a couple of those longer corners clean at goal-line routes, earning Practice Player of the week.
I know what he is capable of and Samuel has been one of my favorite players to watch these last three years, but his injury history remains a major concern.
Grade: Mid-second