Deebo Samuel’s 49ers teammates claim ‘dad strength’ made him a better player

Deebo Samuel has always been an elite player. Just look at his stats which speak for themselves. He’s one of the greatest to ever play the position of wide receiver and has been a key part of the San Francisco 49ers offense since the team drafted him in 2019. 

The 49ers are a different team when Samuel is on the field and his teammates know how crucial he is to their team. They also apparently feel like Samuel became an even more impactful member of their team when he became a dad to son Tyshun "Deebo" Samuel Jr. 

49ers teammates credit “dad strength” for making Deebo Samuel an even better player 

While there might not be any scientific evidence behind it, people have long referred to men seeing increases in their physical strength when they become fathers with the coining of the term “dad strength.” The idea is that when men become fathers, they see an increase in their strength and this seems to be something Deebo Samuel’s teammates witnessed when their teammate became a father in 2021. 

“My teammates were like, when I had my kid, they seen I started playing way better and they called it dad strength,” Samuel revealed in the premiere episode of Netflix’s new docuseries Receiver. 

At first, Samuel didn’t really think too much of it but when looking back, he confessed that he did notice it happening. For him, it’s all about having something bigger to play for: his son. 

“When I go back and watch it, it is kind of crazy. It did start happening. Now, rather than playing for me, I’m playing for my family and him,” Samuel reflected. 

The stats definitely do speak for themselves. The 2021 season was Samuel’s best season in the league posting his highest single-season receiving yards on the season and he’s become an integral part of the 49ers offense, showing no signs of slowing down.

Even in a season where he battled various injuries, Samuel ended the season as the No. 3 receiver on the 49ers roster in receiving yards with just a few hundred yards separating him from George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk. As we see across Receiver and witnessed across the NFL season, when Samuel is in the lineup the 49ers’ playbook is even more expansive!

After losing the Super Bowl, the 49ers are hungrier than ever and want nothing more than to make it back to the big game and take home the Lombardi Trophy. If Samuel can stay healthy this season, there's no telling what personal records he might be able to set and he shows no signs of slowing down on the field.

Receiver season 1 is streaming now on Netflix!