Is Jordan Watkins the 49ers next mid-round star?
There's opportunity for the young receiver to have a breakout year one
Since taking over as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, Kyle Shanahan has never shied away from drafting a wide receiver that he was enamored with in the draft process. The result of those picks has been erratic at best. You know the names: Dante Pettis, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Danny Gray, Jalen Hurd, Jauan Jennings, etc. This year would prove to be no exception to Shanahan scratching his itch at the receiver position.
Coming out of Ole Miss, there was skepticism when Jordan Watkins was selected by the 49ers in the fourth round of this year's draft. Most experts had him as a late-round pick, possibly even going undrafted. Through OTAs and minicamp, however, Watkins has created quite a name for himself at the team facilities, drawing the attention and praise of the team’s established stars.
Watkins was the number two option in Oxford behind Tre Harris, with very pedestrian games and statistics. That would be until they met Arkansas in 2024. With Harris sidelined by injury, Watkins proceeded to explode with eight catches for 254 yards and five touchdowns, three of which were from 60-plus yards. This performance gave Watkins two school records post-game. Watkins would finish the season with 49 catches for 906 yards and nine touchdowns. A blazing 4.37-second time in the 40-yard dash was not the drill from the combine that stuck out to Kyle Shanahan. Instead, it was the gauntlet that Shanahan would go on to reference in his post draft press conference as his determining factor to select Watkins with the 138th overall pick.
With a very depleted wide receiver unit in the spring, Watkins had the opportunity to work with the first-team offense, and left quite the impression on his offensive teammates. Quarterback Brock Purdy described Watkins as ‘balling’, citing his play-making abilities. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk also recently raved about Watkins practice performance with 49ers beat writer Matt Maiocco on his 49ers Talk podcast during an interview at the American Century golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.
"I loved what Jordan Watkins was doing, man. I'm really excited about what he can do for the offense, and that's a position where we're going to need some help early on with Brandon Aiyuk being injured. I think he's one of the guys that can step in and make an impact.” Kyle Juszczyk (via 49ers Talk Podcast NBC Sports Bay Area)
Brandon Aiyuk is still rehabbing his knee. Jauan Jennings has asked for a new contract or a trade. Ricky Pearsall was productive in the back half of last season, but another hamstring injury kept him out through the spring practice. Free agent pickup Demarcus Robinson is facing a possible suspension from the league after pleading no contest for a DUI charge. With the wide receiver room in flux, now is as good a time as any to step up and earn a contributing spot on the 53-man roster.
Watkins is the type of fast, dynamic route runner that Shanahan has constantly looked to integrate into his offensive scheme. While the 49ers have been a run-first offense, Watkins’ unique skill set could give the team the ability to push the ball down the field more than they have previously, and perhaps open up far more opportunities for the likes of Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle. His biggest challenge will be that which most rookie receivers face in the Shanahan era. In order to earn the trust of their head coach, they must have a full comprehension of the system, and more importantly, show a willingness to use their bodies to block in the running game.
Will Watkins be able to break through the Shanahan expectations to see significant time on the field this season? If so, will he become another in a long line of mid-round gems that the 49ers have been able to lean on? If not, will he just be a part of the ‘what could have been’ conversations that have been had about many other skill position draft picks since 2017?