Deebo Samuel wants to do it all. In the 49ers' win over the Packers, the versatile wide receiver did just that.
For the second time in his NFL career, Samuel returned kickoffs and proved nothing is off the table when it comes to helping his team win. The wideout returned two kicks, one of which was for 45 yards to open the second half.
The 49ers drove another 39 yards in 10 plays to put Robbie Gould in range for a successful field goal and notch the team’s first points of the game. All of this comes as no surprise to Richard Hightower who has known about Samuel’s willingness to do whatever it takes on the field. The special teams' coordinator knew in early 2019 that there was nothing Samuel wasn’t ready to do.
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE “I still remember when he was in college and we went to the Senior Bowl,” Hightower said on Wednesday. “He would ride with me to practice to do the return period because it started before practice. He was obviously a great kick returner but he had never caught punts on a consistent basis.
“It just showed me he wanted to go out there and catch punts. ‘I want to try to do anything, coach. I’ll do anything.’ Most guys won’t do that. They don’t want to embarrass themselves but he’s a tough son-of-a-gun and you obviously saw it on that play.”
Hightower gave credit to Kyle Shanahan’s approval of the star player’s participation on special teams adding that the head coach has a good feel for the timing of adding Samuel into the mix.
“He lets us know when,” Hightower said. "'Hey, you can use Deebo.’ Deebo is a team player. That dude loves football and he told me before the game, ‘I got you this game.’ And he really means it.”
San Francisco 49ers
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
The 49ers have had five different players return kicks this season including their All-Pro receiver. The task was predominantly done by Trenton Cannon prior to a horrific injury that happened in Week 11 that caused the running back to be transported to the hospital.
The head coach is thrilled to have a player that is willing to take on more roles in the game. During the regular season, Samuel caught 77 passes for 1405 yards and six touchdowns and carried the ball 59 times for 365 yards and additional eight rushing scores.
Most teams don’t use their best players on special teams, but with Samuel it’s different.
RELATED: 'Know yourself': Jimmy G earned 49ers' trust by never wavering
“I think Deebo right now is playing like one of the best players in the NFL,” Shanahan said. “Just to be able to do what he is doing, he’s obviously talented, but the will that he has it’s unbelievable.”
It is yet to be determined if Samuel will resume kick return duties on Sunday in Los Angeles but be certain that he will be involved in as many phases of the game as he would like. With the physicality that he plays with, the South Carolina product would probably make a great linebacker too.