There might be a time when the 49ers have to choose between Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, but for now they’ll be teammates on a stacked San Francisco offense in 2023.
On the latest 49ers Webzone ‘No Huddle’ podcast, Al Sacco and Brian Renick spoke with Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reporter Jack Hammer about the two talented wideouts.
“It just feels like you could have for the first time in – I don’t know how long – two 1,000-yard wide receivers on this team in Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk,” Renick said. “But if we have to pick one, I’m still going with Aiyuk.”
In 1998, Jerry Rice (1,157) and Terrell Owens (1,097) were the last 49ers teammates to eclipse 1,000 yards in the same season. Last year, Aiyuk led the Niners with 78 catches and 1,015 yards, while Deebo had 56 catches for 632 yards.
Still, Hammer said he’d rather have Deebo, who described his 2022 season as “awful”, when he was admittedly affected by his new contract extension and out of shape. Samuel would like his 2023 performance to be closer to 2021, when he led the league with 18.2 yards per reception while setting an NFL receiver record with eight rushing touchdowns.
“I would go with Deebo Samuel,” Hammer said. “I do think that he’s gonna have a big year. I think that out of the two, he’s the more electric player. The better wide receiver, just as a wide receiver is Brandon Aiyuk. But when you add everything together that Deebo Samuel does, he’s the better player.
“The biggest thing with Deebo Samuel is, how are they gonna utilize him? I think that’s the biggest question to ask there, because if you look at how he is as a rookie and 2021, those two seasons, they actually threw the ball to him down the field. … You get Deebo Samuel the ball down the field and he’s gonna make plays.”
