Deebo/NFL Draft

Deebo's dollars: Samuel builds brand with draft looming

Published: April 25, 2019 at 10:47 a.m.

Days before the 2019 NFL Draft, Deebo Samuel spent some time taking care of business -- or more accurately, taking care of business interests.

Samuel took a week to come down after a whirlwind tour of team facilities. Back home in Inman, South Carolina, the former Gamecocks wideout worked out twice a day at Chapman High School and caught up with old friends.

"Pretty nice to be just back," Samuel told NFL.com. "I hang with the same people I've been hanging with since I was little."

But on Tuesday, Samuel jetted off to New York, where the receiver had a meeting with Nike, who've sponsored him throughout the draft process. Samuel also announced he inked a deal with Beats by Dre.

Add on to that relationships with Skittles and designer sneaker brand Buscemi, as well as the development of his very own logo, and Samuel has built quite a diverse market for himself during the pre-draft process.

"It was just something I wanted to start off with," Samuel told NFL.com last week of constructing his brand. "If it continues to grow, it will continue to grow."

A self-described fashionisto, Samuel won't need to dress up tonight, though he still might.

The South Carolina wideout will not be among the 22 prospects waiting to hear their names called in Nashville, Tennessee. Instead, Samuel will be in Inman, hosting a party for around 75 family members and friends. His step-mom, he said, is working out the catering situation.

Will be watching the draft at home with my family and friends. They have played a part in this process so I’ll be in enjoying my moment with them on April 25-26. ????
— UnoCaptain??? (@Uno_Captain) April 9, 2019



The No. 40 overall prospect (and fifth-ranked wide receiver) in the 2019 class according to NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, Samuel could see his draft party last two days. NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter has Samuel going in the second round to the Indianapolis Colts with the 34th overall pick. Others have the South Carolina wideout going later.

However long the wait is this weekend, it will be worth it.

"Oh, yeah -- I thought about it as a kid," Samuel said of the possibility of getting drafted. "It's hard to say (whether I thought I'd get this far). As a kid, you just dream of playing in the NFL. But as time keeps coming by, as you get older, it starts making sense."

It'll all make sense this weekend, when -- whether on Thursday or Friday -- Samuel's dream will become a reality.



I suspect he didn't even need to pay hundreds of thousands to a marketing firm in Ohio to come up with a horrible brand/logo - for example... #DEEBofO either.

~ all the best to Uno_Captain