Which 49ers playmaker has been compared to Anquan Boldin by Eagles CB Darius Slay?
The Philadelphia Eagles are set to take on the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2 of NFL action. Both teams will enter Week 2 undefeated, and both had no issues with handling their Week 1 opponents.
Darius Slay, a cornerback from the Eagles, was interviewed about the upcoming match, stating that the comparison of Deebo Samuel to Anquan Bolden was a fair assessment.
That's a fair comparison. Both Deebo and Anquan are physical play makers.
Anquan Boldin is 49ers' last 1K receiver (2014)
Deebo Samuel had 189 yards in season opener. Don't lose sight of that with all this misdirection talk about Aiyuk/Sherfield twitter.com/Tim_McManus/st…
The Slay and Samuel matchup will be an exciting matchup to watch out for.
Will Deebo Samuel eclipse Anquan Boldin's numbers?
Slay will have his hands full on Sunday, as Samuel put up 189 yards last week against the Detroit Lions. Slay also stated that Samuel is a "faster" version of Boldin, so there should be plenty of balls being thrown in Samuel's direction, especially if Slay can't keep up.
Darius Slay is no stranger to adversity in matchups, as he produced 6 tackles on Sunday. 3 of the tackles were solo and 3 were assisted. He also had 1 pass defended.
Darius Slay in week 1:
- Vs Ridley: 2 targets, 0 rec, 1 PBU
- Vs Pitts: 2 targets, 1 rec 7 yards
- Vs Gage: 1 target, 0 receptions
- Vs Hurst: 1 target, 1 rec for 7 yards
6 targets, 2 catches for 14 yards, 0 1st downs, 42.3 passer rating allowed.
#Eagles https://t.co/W6Y5TJk8Zu
Slay put up numbers against the Atlanta Falcons' two best receivers in Calvin Ridley and Kyle Pitts.
Deebo Samuel, however, had a monster game himself. The 3rd year wide receiver caught 9 of the 11 passes thrown his way for 189 yards and 1 TD. He had an average of 21 yards per catch.
Samuel had a disappointing 2020 campaign, in which he only played 7 games, which resulted in a meager 391 yards. Samuel has already caught almost half of that yardage in one game. In 2019, his rookie year, Samuel posted 802 yards with 3 TDs and rushed for 159 yards with 3 TDs. If this is the 2019 Samuel that is starting at 2021, then Samuel can easily reach the numbers that Boldin once had with the 49ers.
DEEBO SAMUEL adjusting and cooking Okudah, 79 yard TD. https://t.co/AygmdoeFvd
It would also appear that Jimmy Garoppolo, who had his injuries to deal with in 2020, is also healed up and ready to go. This 79-yard bomb to Samuel helped to put the final touches on a dominant victory in Sunday's matchup against the Lions.
Anquan Boldin is the last wide receiver that posted a season with over 1000 yards for the 49ers since he put up 1,062 yards in 2014. Boldin also put up 1,179 yards in 2013.
George Kittle is also back after 2020, which resulted in an injury for the #2 tight end in the league. Kittle was only targeted on Sunday 5 times, reeling in 78 yards and 1 TD. Samuel might be the new favorite target, especially since opposing defenses with likely try and take Kittle out of the equation.
Having 189 yards on the year already and a healthy starting quarterback, Samuel is definitely on pace to be the first wide receiver that the 49ers have had to break 1000 yards since Boldin's time in 2014.