After the team’s offseason workouts were finished, Deebo Samuel got to work. He spent the past month sending coach Kyle Shanahan pictures for proof.
“Never had a grown man send me so many pictures with his shirt off, but it looks good, and I can tell he’s put the work in,” Shanahan said Wednesday, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com.
Samuel wasn’t happy with how he played in 2022, going as far as calling it “awful” after 98 touches for 864 yards and five touchdowns. It motivated him to report to training camp leaner and meaner.
“I’d say this is probably the best shape that I’ve been in since the 2019 year,” Samuel said. “You know, you got that long time of working out, a long time of preparation. I took them 40 days away and really got to it and got to where I wanted to be.”
It is unclear why Samuel doesn’t think he’s in the best shape of his life. His rookie season was 2019, so maybe getting in shape pre-draft had him in the best shape of his life.
In any event, Samuel worked with trainer Nick Hill in Arizona in the gap between the team’s offseason workouts and training camp. He said he’s faster and lighter on his feet.
“I think the heat kind of played a part in that, too, because Arizona is hot,” Samuel said. “We was doing a lot of running, a lot of cardio, a lot of stuff to kind of trim the fat a little bit. A lot of track working out. Then, I got into a routine of flexibility, mobility, and then I got into boxing a little bit.”
