2. Jaylen Samuels – Pittsburgh Steelers
There’s a real question among NFL personnel about exactly what position Jaylen Samuels is going to play at the next level. Trying to fit him into some narrow positional box is lunacy. Samuels will have a big impact wherever you deploy him.
Credit the Steelers for having the vision to understand that. His ability to run and catch the ball out of the backfield will be a tremendous boost for Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh offense. The former NC State star is a walking, talking matchup problem for NFL defensive coordinators.
The two primary places you’ll see Samuels line up are in the backfield and the slot. Playing as a third down running back he’s going to be nearly impossible to stop. He’s got the size to move the pile on short yardage situations and speed to blow past linebackers when he runs routes out of the backfield. Samuels will make most of his impact on third down as a rookie.
Expect his role to grow and grow until he becomes one of Roethlisberger’s most important weapons by the end of the year. Samuels may never fit into anyone’s traditional definitely of what a running back or tight end should be, but he will be everyone’s idea of an impactful player.