At South Carolina, Deebo Samuel caught 16 touchdown passes, rushed for seven scores and took four kickoffs to the end zone.
“I played almost every position,” Samuel said, “except for quarterback.”
At Tennessee, Jalen Hurd played running back and ranked sixth in school history in rushing yards when he transferred after less than three full seasons. At Baylor, he played wide receiver and had 69 catches for 946 yards last year.
“There’s not really any limit to me,” Hurd said, “on the offensive side.”
Samuel and Hurd have jack-of-all-trades qualities. However, they figure to have a singular responsibility in 2019: Upgrade the 49ers’ underwhelming receiver corps.
The 49ers used two high-end draft picks — a second-rounder on Samuel and a third-rounder on Hurd — on versatile wideouts who at least initially figure to play one position.
That is, Samuel, who said he’d like to keep returning kickoffs in the NFL, could focus solely on claiming the starting spot previously held by Pierre Garcon, whose contract option wasn’t exercised after the season. And Hurd, who eventually could move to tight end in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, likely will be given at least a season to develop as a wideout.
So the rookies’ versatility might not be on display this season — but their ability to do so much speaks to the skills that made them attractive.
For his part, Samuel, 5-foot-11 and 214 pounds, is built like a running back. And he’s known for moving like one after receptions, which is why the Gamecocks gave him 25 carries in his career. Last year, Samuel accounted for 67 percent of his receiving yards (592 of 882) after the catch, according to Pro Football Focus. In addition, he forced 21 missed tackles, a figure that tied for the fourth best among wideouts in his draft class.
“He can catch the ball and break away,” general manager John Lynch said. “He’s a thick guy. Not overly tall, but I think he plays big. He’s strong, but he’s got juice to pull away from people and he can break tackles.”
Said Shanahan: “It hurts for people to tackle him. It doesn’t hurt him as bad.”