WATCH: Asante Samuel Jr. snatches his first NFL interception
Like father, like son. When he came into the NFL, Asante Samuel, Jr. had high expectations placed on his shoulders, largely due to his body of work in college and his famous father, Asante Samuel, Sr.
It’s safe to say the youngest Asante Samuel is well on his way to making a name for himself in the National Football League as one of the league’s premiere cover corners.
He had his first NFL interception Sunday night in the 49ers-Chargers preseason game.
Check out the interception below, where he picks off 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Garoppolo threw the pass a bit high and San Francisco wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk extended for the catch, but couldn’t bring it in. He essentially tipped the ball behind him to Samuel.
Impressing in Fall Camp
Asante Samuel, Jr. has impressed during training camp for the Los Angeles Chargers, demonstrating the type of lockdown ability that made him a highly-coveted defensive back prospect coming out of Florida State.
Keep in mind, Keenan Allen is one of the best route runners in the NFL. For a defensive back to blanket him like that, is impressive regardless of their pedigree.
There’s a reason why Samuel was drafted in the second round of April’s NFL Draft. Some scouts and experts said he should have been drafted even higher. PFF’s Sam Monson thought Samuel was a top-20 overall prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft.
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Samuel’s T-step, the foot a corner plants in the turf to come out of their backpedal and drive on the football once the receiver makes his break.
“Samuel Jr. has the best and quickest T-step when he comes out of his backpedal to drive toward a receiver breaking in front of him,” PFF’s Sam Monson said. “There is just zero wasted motion to it, and he can completely reverse his entire momentum and drive in that one step. It’s exactly how you are taught to do it, but I can’t remember seeing such a perfect execution of the skill before.”
It doesn’t hurt when your father is one of the better defensive backs in NFL history, but Samuel’s technique stands among the truly elite at the position and the tape and stats back that up.
Asante Samuel Jr.’s FSU career
He became the second FBS player since 2000 and the first since 2003 to have three interceptions and two fumble recoveries in his team’s first four games last season. In the eight games he played in 2020, he recorded 31 tackles, including one tackle for loss, three interceptions, six pass breakups, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. He was named a first team All-ACC selection last year.