Deebo Samuel's stock is perhaps at the lowest it has been during his entire career with the San Francisco 49ers.

Having followed up an apparent demand on social media for more targets by dropping a potential third-quarter touchdown in the Niners' defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, Samuel has come in for heavy criticism.

That miscue was critical in a 12-6 loss that all but doomed the 49ers' postseason hopes. 

Yet the most consistent accusation aimed in Samuel's direction this season has nothing to do with drops.

Instead, Samuel has faced claims that he has lost much of the explosiveness that helped him become one of the most dynamic open-field playmakers in the NFL.

Samuel is averaging 7.4 yards after catch per reception, the lowest number of his career, while he has ran the ball at a clip of just 2.8 yards per attempt.

Despite the numbers, head coach Kyle Shanahan issued a staunch defense of the wide receiver in his Wednesday press conference ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Miami Dolphins.

When asked about Samuel seemingly slowing down, Shanahan pointed to a knee injury suffered in Week 2 and a bout of pneumonia that prevented him from making an impact in Week 7 as key reasons why it may look from an external perspective like the 2021 All-Pro has lost a step.

Said Shanahan: "I don't think Deebo's slowed down. I think he got banged up earlier in the year. I thought he had an awesome training camp to where I'd say he didn't slow down at all. 

"We were real excited going into the year and I want to say it was Week 2 he got hurt in. I think Week 2 versus Minnesota, he had over 100 yards and then we didn't get him versus the Rams. I don't know if he missed two games or one, but it set him back for a few weeks and then when he came back he had pneumonia, he had a rib thing. I think that set him off for like a month where he couldn't practice as much. 

"When you build up a bunch in camp and then you miss a lot of time in practice it is hard to maintain that stuff. But by no means do I think he's lost it or anything. 

"Then his looks haven't been quite as good this year, just like for everybody. When the 10 guys around you aren't doing quite as good, whether it's him, whether it's the quarterback, whether it's O-Line, you're not going to do as good as you did the year before."

It is fair to say that Samuel hasn't consistently had a great deal to work with in the running game, an area in which he has been bottled up consistently by teams that seem much better prepared to defend him than in years gone by.

But looks don't get much cleaner than his egregious drop last week. After a season that has seen him face a lot of adversity, Samuel needs to find a way to let his play on the field do the talking in the right way and silence lingering questions about whether he should be on the 49er roster next year.

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It’s clearly heading in that direction.