Deebo Samuel looks in excellent shape a couple of weeks out from training camp, which is excellent news for the San Francisco 49ers and for his own prospects of becoming one of the most prolific players in franchise history.

When healthy, Samuel has been a touchdown machine for the 49ers, his abilities as a receiver and as a runner out of the backfield helping him find the endzone 38 times in the regular season. 

In the two seasons in which he has played at least 15 games (2021 and 2023), he has scored a total of 26 touchdowns. He scored 14 in 2021 and 12 last season in helping the 49ers to a Super Bowl berth.

Put simply, given his versatility, Samuel is a close to a sure thing to score double-digit touchdowns in a season if he can stay on the field for the entire year.

If he matches last season's touchdown total, he will become only the 10th player in franchise history to score 50 total touchdowns. 

The most recent pass-catcher to achieve that feat for the 49ers was tight end Vernon Davis, the 2006 first-round pick scoring 55 in his time with the team.

Should Samuel get to that mark, he will surpass some franchise legends, including John Taylor (46), the late Freddie Solomon (48) and, most notably of all, Dwight Clark (48), the man on the receiving end of 'The Catch' in the NFC Championship Game at the end of the 1981 season. Clark passed away from ALS in 2018.

There has been plenty of talk about the 2024 season potentially being Samuel's last with the team. A trade of the 2021 All-Pro is certainly a possibility next offseason, when the 49ers will find it more difficult to fit as many lucrative contracts on the books with quarterback Brock Purdy likely to receive an extension to make him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL.

But the fact Samuel is on track to write a piece of franchise history in 2024 and do so in just his sixth season in the league is illustrative of his immense value to the team, and how difficult it will be for the 49ers to fill the void if they do indeed part with him next year.

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