49ers' Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams Praised by HC Shanahan: 'Our Team Feeds off Them'

Nobody sets the tone for the San Francisco 49ers better than wide receiver Deebo Samuel and offensive tackle Trent Williams in the eyes of head coach Kyle Shanahan.

"They have similar styles and just the way they have fun before games, that's them," he said of the pair to ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "That's genuinely who they are and that's why they're always going to be front and center. When you got the type of the talent and charisma of those two guys, it kind of sticks out.

"I think they feed off each other. And I know our team feeds off them."

Samuel and Williams lead by example to a degree. The former caught 60 passes for 892 yards and seven touchdowns and ran for 225 yards and five scores during the regular season, while the latter remains one of the NFL's best blockers, even into his age-35 season.

Their impact goes beyond what they do when they step onto the field as well.

Samuel and Williams were out for San Francisco's back-to-back defeats to the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals in Weeks 7 and 8. They returned in Week 10 as the Niners blew out the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-3.

"But whenever they're in the locker room, walking out to the field, in warmups, they just have this aura about them that incites being a good football player," tight end George Kittle told reporters days after the win. "That's the best thing they bring besides their awesome ability."

It wasn't a coincidence Samuel and Williams were front and center in the 49ers' pregame scuffle with the Cleveland Browns in October. In Williams' case, he came in from well out of frame and seemed to have the final say in the situation.

They both possess a sense of fearlessness and confidence any coach loves to see in a veteran leader.

Quarterback Brock Purdy has garnered the most NFL MVP buzz of any Niners player thanks to how the award is increasingly dominated by his position. Running back Christian McCaffrey built a strong candidacy too.

Samuel and Williams' teammates might have a different answer if you were to ask anybody inside San Francisco's locker room who the most valuable player(s) on the squad are.