Curtis Samuel, Ohio State
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 196 lbs.
Arms: 31 1/4”
Hands: 9 1/2”
Vertical: 37”
40-yard dash: 4.31 seconds
Probably the most interesting rookie profile I’ve done to this point, Samuel makes a very unique prospect. He played the majority of his snaps at running back in college, but is coming into the NFL as a wide receiver. Think of a player like Ty Montgomery in today’s NFL, who is able to line up at wide receiver, but can also carry the ball effectively. In fact, he carried the ball so well that he’s now considered a running back. Will this be the case with Samuel or will the transition to wide receiver be better for him?
Starting with his hands, Samuel has a lot of work to do if he wants to be an every-down type player. He catches with his body as much as he can, but when he tries to use his hands, it usually ends up in a dropped pass. This is something that can improve, but it’s something that’ll get him benched if it persists.
His route running isn’t quite polished, either, but it’s not bad for a guy who should play out of the slot. He has the quickness and athletic ability to elude defenders, so once he starts perfecting his routes, the sky is the limit. If you allow Samuel to hit the open field, he’s gone. If you watched the Combine, you’ve already seen what he brings to the table. His 4.31 second forty-yard dash ranked second to only John Ross. Another note on his route running is that he doesn’t come back to the ball, but rather waits for it to come to him. It’s clear that Samuel hasn’t perfected the wide receiver position.
The biggest issue when trying to project Samuel in the NFL is that Ohio State ran an option-style offense, which means he didn’t get many NFL-type touches. Whoever drafts Samuel needs to get creative – use him out of the backfield, put him in motion, line him in the slot, use him on special teams, whatever you can do to get the ball into his hands. With the ball in his hands, he is somewhat elusive, but not because he breaks tackles. He uses the spin-move too much when running the ball, which can lead to him getting lit up at the NFL level.
Just to recap, Samuel is a talented prospect, but a tough one to judge. He is electric in the open field, but that doesn’t always equivalate to success in the NFL, just ask Tavon Austin. Is it possible that Austin would’ve succeeded on a better team in a different scheme? These are questions that we may be asking ourselves in five years about Samuel.
NFL comparison
When watching Samuel, it’s hard not to be reminded of Percy Harvin, a player who dominated the league when healthy. Now it’s important to remember that he had Adrian Peterson on the field with him and that he was a fantastic receiver, while Samuel has much room to grow in that category. But they are both playmakers that can be lined up all over the field and can break one at any time. If he winds up with the correct team/coordinator, Samuel can wreak havoc on opposing defenses.
To read up on some of the other high-profile NFL Draft prospects, check out the links below:
Corey Davis – (WR, Western Michigan)
Mike Williams – (WR, Clemson)
John Ross – (WR, Washington)
Taywan Taylor – (WR, Western Kentucky)
JuJu Smith-Schuster – (WR, USC)
Chris Godwin – (WR, Penn State)
ArDarius Stewart – (WR, Alabama)
Carlos Henderson – (WR, Louisiana Tech)
Chad Hansen – (WR, California)
Zay Jones – (WR, East Carolina)
Isaiah Ford – (WR, Virginia Tech)
Cooper Kupp – (WR Eastern Washington)
Ep. 72: Dynasty Rookie Draft
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.