Finally healthy, Curtis Samuel is starting to look like the dynamic playmaker that he was at Ohio State — which earned him a second round selection by the Panthers. The speedster (4.31 40-yard dash) made countless plays throughout minicamp and finally had a full offseason that didn’t involve rehabbing an injury. With the team letting Devin Funchess walk in free agency, Samuel will officially be the Panthers’ No. 2 wideout behind the studly DJ Moore. On just 47 touches last season, Samuel totaled 578 yards and seven touchdowns. As evident by his yards per touch (12.3) and number of touchdowns, he’s a big-play waiting to happen in what should be an extremely fast offense.
“He’s always fast and quick, but it’s learning and understanding how to get in and out of breaks, and how to snap out of that break with your hands presenting a good target. His catch radius I think has improved,” coach Ron Rivera said. “I just think his overall game has improved.”
During camp, Samuel has been one of, if not the best player on offense. He was a terror downfield, making highlight grab after highlight grab. OC Norv Turner will manufacture ways to get him the ball, whether it’s vertical or horizontal in the passing game, or even out of the backfield where he averaged over 10 yards a carry and added two scores.
As of now, The Wolf has Samuel as his WR47 (-6 vs ECR) and should be on the rise if he continues to make noise during training camp.
