The San Francisco 49ers think very highly of Deebo Samuel and are expecting big things from him at wide receiver. Samuel and Kyle Shanahan agree that the wide receiver responds well when he receives tough love from the coaches.
Per Cam Inman in The Mercury News:
“You can be hard on him. He doesn’t make excuses,” Shanahan said. “He works at it. And he definitely takes accountability and doesn’t mind you calling him out in front of the team.
“It’s important to him and he usually responds when you do it.”
“As far as how hard (coaches) get on you, they just want you to become a better player, and I take coaching very well,” Samuel said.
The rookie receiver out of South Carolina started for the 49ers in Week 1 on the opposite side of Dante Pettis. To no one's surprise, Samuel's first career start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was littered with positives and negatives.
The positives included him making a spectacular catch in the end zone to convert a two-point conversion for San Francisco to give the 49ers a 31-17 lead. Samuel finished the day with just three receptions for 17 yards.
As for the negatives, the second-round pick fumbled the ball near the end of the first half to prevent San Francisco from getting points. Rookie mistakes are inevitable to occur, but it is up to Shanahan to hold Samuel accountable.
Along with Shanahan, Samuel also holds himself accountable for his mistakes and is open for criticism. The amount of humility and willingness to improve that Samuel possesses could pay dividends for the 49ers this season.
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