FOXBORO, Mass. — If you followed NESN.com’s pre-2018 NFL Draft coverage, then the name of Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back Jaylen Samuels should sound familiar.
Samuels was a do-everything back at NC State. He was listed as a tight end at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine, but he mostly played slot wide receiver and goal-line back in 2017. He was perhaps the most versatile offensive player in college football last season, which is why we identified him as a fit for the Patriots.
“He pretty much did it all,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Wednesday. “Watching him at NC State, every play was like, ‘Where is he?’ He played in the backfield, out of the backfield, on the line of scrimmage, split out. He could be in the wing. He was all over the place, very versatile player in college.”
Belichick said other college players probably could have taken on multiple roles similar to Samuels, but it was a testament to his versatility that NC State was willing to move him around.
“It was kind of like watching (Willie) McGinest at USC on defense,” Belichick said. “He played outside linebacker, defensive end, defensive tackle, inside linebacker. Every week he was in a different spot. So, it was kind of whatever game you watched, you’d have to see where he was playing in that game, how they were using him against that particular matchup when Coach (John) Robinson was out there. Sometimes you have players like that, you bump them along the way. I’d say that’s pretty infrequent.”
Samuels, a 2018 fifth-round pick, could start Sunday against the New England Patriots because James Conner is dealing with an ankle injury. Conner was starting because Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell held out this entire season.
