Jordan Watkins made a strong enough impression on Kyle Shanahan to earn a fourth-round selection by the San Francisco 49ers. With Deebo Samuel gone and Brandon Aiyuk recovering from an injury that could sideline him at the start of the 2025 season, Watkins will have even more opportunities to build on that early momentum.
At 5-foot-11, Watkins doesn’t bring overwhelming size, but his film from Ole Miss, highlighted by a nine-touchdown campaign in 2024, caught Shanahan’s eye.
“Love his speed,” Shanahan told reporters on Saturday. “It’s the first thing you notice. When you see a guy for the first time, you look at his 40-time, then you watch his routes at the Combine. I thought he was one of the better route runners at the Combine, just with natural receiver skills and everything.”
Watkins posted a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, tied for the sixth-fastest among all receivers in the 2025 draft class. He finished his final collegiate season with 49 catches for 906 yards (an impressive 18.5 yards per catch) and nine touchdowns.
“You watch his hands, he was our best graded-out guy going through the gauntlet and stuff with just true natural hands,” Shanahan added. “I watched his one-on-ones at the Senior Bowl, and then, to how he played at Ole Miss, talking to [Mississippi head coach] Lane [Kiffin], the whole package.
“We love the guy. I think he’s got a great skillset and needed to add him to the group.”
Watkins knows nothing will be handed to him as he begins his NFL career. He’ll have to compete for playing time in a receiver room that still includes Jauan Jennings, 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall, and veteran newcomer Demarcus Robinson.
“It’s going to be tough,” Watkins acknowledged on Saturday. “It’s going to be hard to be able to work my way up onto the field as a rookie. But I think the thing that makes San Francisco very special is that they really care about football there, and they told me that if you care about football, and you love football, then you’re going to fit in great here.”
Shanahan appreciates Watkins’ attitude and understanding of what it takes.
“Yeah, hopefully everyone is like that,” Shanahan said. “Everyone is going to have to work to make our team, first of all. And we’re down numbers with losing Deebo and with B.A. (Aiyuk) might not be ready right away—we’ll see how that goes. But we wanted to add a receiver in this draft. We didn’t know where it would be, and glad we got him.”