SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL

For four years, South Carolina fans saw Deebo Samuel's infectious smile off the field and angry playing style on it.

The San Francisco 49ers apparently noticed.

One day after the franchise used its second round pick on the Gamecocks' do-it-all star, general manager John Lynch joined ESPN Saturday to talk about what the Niners like about Samuel. In summary: about everything.

"We had an opportunity to have him down in Mobile at the Senior Bowl and that was very fortuitous, because we got to see first and foremost, we love the person," Lynch said. "He's got a tremendous charisma to him. He's always got a smile on his face, but he plays angry.

"This is a guy who has tremendous hands. He can catch it and when he catches it, he has the juice to go. But he plays with a hunger. We call it "WIT" - what it takes - what it takes to win championships. Deebo, he's a physical player, and I think that's a common theme throughout our draft."

Samuel showed off his hunger for the end zone for four seasons at South Carolina, finding the goal line 28 career times, fourth in school history.

The 6-foot, 210-pounder's combination of on-field anger and versatile skillset made him a threat to score from multiple positions. Receiving, rushing, kickoff returns - even a fumble recovery for TD - Deebo does it all.

Head coach Will Muschamp made similar observations on Samuel when he talked about him at South Carolina's Pro Day.

"On the field is extremely impressive, but what I'm hearing [stands out] is the off-the-field, his competitive edge, and how he represented himself in all the interviews," Muschamp said. "But his work ethic is his most is his most talented attribute. I've said that all along since I met him, it's how he works and how he goes about his business."

The 49ers apparently saw the same thing.