Rookie SWOT: Curtis Samuel

Bruce Matson Posted On June 8, 2017

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Name: Curtis Samuel

Position: Wide Receiver

Pro Team: Carolina Panthers

College Team: Ohio State Buckeyes

Draft Status: Round Two, Pick No. 40 Overall

Video Highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhkk1MNuGA4

Combine Review

Height: 5’11’’
Weight: 196 Pounds
Arm Length: 31 ¼’’
Bench Press: 18 Reps
40-Yard-Dash: 4.31
20-Yard-Shuttle: 4.33
3-Cone: 7.09
Vertical: 37’’
Broad Jump: 119.0’’

Strengths

Samuel’s versatility is his biggest asset, due to his ability to play both wide receiver and running back. He rushed for 771 yards and eight touchdowns, while catching 74 receptions for 865 yards and seven touchdowns during his junior season. Samuel has the speed to take the top off the defense, making him mismatch nightmare for linebackers and slower defensive backs. His quick feet and explosive lower body makes it easy for him to get in and out of his breaks. He can slow down, make his cut and regain his top end speed with very little effort. His athleticism alone is going to make very tough to cover in the NFL.

Weaknesses

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Samuel has limited experience at wide receiver and is still learning the fine nuances of the position. He’s not a natural pass-catcher and will sometimes struggle at tracking the ball down while running deep routes. Press coverage is an issue for him, because he’s susceptible of getting knocked off his routes by physical press corners. Although he was very successful at taking hand-offs as a running back, most of his touches were unconventional with the majority of his carries coming from jet sweeps, options and pitches.

Opportunities

The Carolina Panthers are in dire need of a wide receiver that can stretch the field. Ted Ginn is no longer on the roster and they need a speedster to clear things out in order for Greg Olsen, Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess to be able to effectively run routes underneath the coverage. His versatility provides Carolina with a dynamic they haven’t seen before, because he can lineup both inside and outside and as a runner out of the backfield, making him the ultimate movable chess piece. The Panthers have a lot of talented wide receivers on the roster, but target share shouldn’t be an issue, considering Ted Ginn was targeted 95 times in 2016 and 97 times in 2015.

Threats

Christian McCaffrey might be his biggest threat, because McCaffrey is an excellent receiver out of the backfield, which could limit his opportunities at taking snaps as a running back. The possibility of being the next Percy Harvin, where he could score fantasy points as both a receiver and a running back, was in the cards for Samuel going into the draft. The dream of him being a versatile fantasy option might have been killed-off when he was drafted by the Panthers, a team who drafted an elite pass catching running back a round prior to drafting Samuel.

Charles Johnson is quietly sitting on Carolina’s roster and nobody is talking about him. He could easily take over as the deep threat for the team, preventing Samuel from becoming the team’s deep threat option. Johnson has the speed to beat defenders deep and the athleticism to create separation downfield.

Short-Term Expectations

Expect him to be used sparingly during the first few years of his career. He’s a very raw prospect and will need time to develop his skill set to become one of the team’s starting wide receivers. His speed could allow him to get playing time as the team’s deep threat, but don’t expect him to be a fantasy-relevant asset right out of the gate.

Long-Term Expectations

Samuel should eventually develop his talents and acclimate his game to the NFL level to become one of the team’s starting wide receivers. His speed is going to get him on the field early in his career, but progressing into a well-rounded receiver will making him a dynamic fantasy asset in the future. Samuel has the potential to be a solid flex play with WR2 upside in fantasy. His long-term player value is going to be dependent on how he is implemented in the offense and how he progresses in the early years of his career. He is a very explosive playmaker and if given the opportunity, he could be one of the most dynamic players in the NFL.

NFL Comparison

Like Samuel, Percy Harvin was featured as both a wide receiver and an option out of the backfield, catching 133 receptions for 1,929 yards and 13 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,852 yards and 19 touchdowns during his three-year collegiate career at the University of Florida. Both players are very explosive athletes and are very dangerous when they get the ball in space.

Randall Cobb is another player in the NFL that has a versatile skill set that’s very similar to what Samuel brings to the table. Both players are close in size and are very crafty when it comes to creating separation from the defender. The big difference between the two players is Samuel is faster and more explosive, which should make him a more dynamic player if he gets the opportunity to showcase his talents.

Projected Range for Rookie Drafts

Per DLF’s Rookie ADP, Samuel is currently being considered a mid to late second round pick in rookie drafts with and ADP of 14.80 and he is usually the sixth wide receiver off the board. I’ve seen him fall to the early third round and I’ve also seen owners draft him in the early second round. Pull the trigger on Samuel in the second round if he’s your guy, because the odds are very slim that he falls much farther than the early third round. His price point isn’t steep, considering that he was an early second round pick in the NFL Draft. Wide receivers with that type of draft capital usually get drafted anywhere from the mid first to the early second round in rookie drafts.

Samuel is a very talented player with the capabilities to becoming a corner stone piece to your dynasty team. Don’t be afraid to pay the premiums in order to acquire him in rookie drafts – sometimes you have to have to drop a few extra shekels to get your guy.

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Bruce Matson

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

I'm a financial counselor for a hospital in South Central Ohio. I graduated from Muskingum University with a bachelor's in business while minoring in Economics and Accounting. I won my first fantasy football title with Jake Plummer as my quarterback.