Curtis Samuel is a wide receiver for the Washington Commanders, but was drafted with the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Samuel played at Erasmus Hall High School as a running back, and also ran track and field. As a junior, Samuel was a New York State track champ in the 55 meter run when he ran a 6.44 time. He rushed for 1,461 yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior and was named the 2013 New York Gatorade Player of the Year and was invited to the All-American Bowl. He enrolled at Ohio State as a four-star recruit of the 2014 class and immediately saw playing time for the Buckeyes, rushing 58 times for 383 yards and six touchdowns. His role would steadily grow until 2016 when he became a legitimate threat in both the running game and passing game. In his final year at Ohio State Samuel’s college stats showed a rushing line of 97-771-8, and a receiving line of 74-865-7, earning first-team All-Big Ten and All-American honors.
Samuel signed a three-year, $34.5 million contract with the Commanders during the 2021 free agency period, reuniting with head coach Ron Rivera, who drafted and coached Samuel during their time with the Panthers from 2017 to 2019. Rivera was fired by Carolina at the end of the 2019 season and soon joined Washington for the 2020 season. It was during that season, under new head coach Matt Rhule, that Samuel enjoyed his best season with the Panthers.
In 2020, Samuel posted a receiving line of 77-851-3, and also rushed 41 times for 200 yards and another two touchdowns. Samuel’s 2020 season was easily the best of his career from a real-life standpoint, and it was reflected in fantasy as well, as he averaged 14.1 points per game good for a fantasy ranking of WR27, which was also a career-high as he ended the year as a high-end WR3 who just so happened to turn in seven games of 16.0 points or more.
Samuel dealt with both groin and hamstring injuries in 2021, with his groin injury dating back to the preseason. He appeared in just five games for Washington, saw nine targets and caught six passes for 27 yards. He also rushed four times for 11 yards.
When it comes to athleticism, we know Samuel has it. His 4.31 40 time (99th-percentile) and 110.5 speed score (92nd-percentile) suggest he has speed to burn in the open field. During his 2020 season, Samuel saw the 19th most snaps from the slot (340) and was No. 19 in target premium (+31.0%) and 40th in target share (19.7%. He totaled five drops in his last season with the Panthers and also ranked 22nd in YAC (337). His 433 routes run ranked 47th in the league, while his 694 air yards were the 66th most.
In 2019, which was Samuel’s most successful year under Rivera, Samuel saw career-highs in slot snaps (202), while also posting then career highs in receiving, with a line of 54-627-6.
Samuel isn’t the most imposing player on the field when it comes to size. But he’s a dangerous playmaker with elite speed who we’ve seen succeed in the slot in each of his last two healthy seasons. Step one for Samuel heading into the 2022 season will be getting healthy. Step two will be getting acclimated to an offense he didn’t get to play much in last season, along with (likely) a new quarterback. If he’s able to stay on the field, and returns to the slot role he has seen some success in, then the soon-to-be 26-year old wide receiver could be in line for a rebound in 2022. His ADP will be that of an affordable low-end receiver who we know still has plenty of upside when healthy.
