Niners Nation
The 49ers sprung a surprise by selecting Jordan Watkins in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but it could prove to be a masterstroke of a pick.
As I detailed ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, the 49ers – in the first half of of the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch era – had a track record of selecting wide receivers who were among my favorite prospects in their respective classes. A three-year run saw San Francisco take wideouts to whom I attached the label ‘draft crush’ as Dante Pettis, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk were selected in consecutive drafts.
In more recent years, however, the shared appreciation for the same wideout prospects had not been apparent. Neither Elijah Moore in 2021 nor Jonathan Mingo in 2023 were selected by the 49ers. Danny Gray was not somebody near the top of my list in 2022 and, though I’d done some work on the latter, the selections of Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing honestly caught me off guard last year.
This year, however, marked a return to past form – somewhat.
I say somewhat because I only started watching OIe Miss receiver Jordan Watkins after I knew the 49ers had hosted him for a top 30 visit, and San Francisco consistently drafts at least a couple of players with whom they hold visits.
But in turning on the tape, the understanding of why the 49ers were interested took hold swiftly.
The immediate reaction of many to seeing Watkins go with the 138th pick in the fourth round was to label him a reach. Yet Watkins was the 29th receiver on the big board of Dane Brugler of The Athletic, and he was the 21st receiver taken – hardly a massive gap when we’re talking about a day-three pick.
More importantly, watch Watkins in college, and it should quickly become obvious why the 49ers felt the need to add him to their stable of receiving weapons. The short version – Watkins is a receiver with the skill set to thrive in the Shanahan offense who perfectly fits where the 49ers’ passing game is going. Here’s the long version….
Some of the critiques of Watkins concern the limited route tree he ran at Ole Miss and the fact that much of his production in 2024 came in a bonkers 254-yard, five-touchdown display against Arkansas. At 5ft 11in and 175 pounds, he’s also a little undersized.
All those criticisms, while valid, do not outweigh a skill set that should translate excellently to the pros and particularly well to the 2025 version of the Shanahan offense, with Watkins winning in large part because of his route-running ability and his speed.
The route tree in college may have been simplistic, but Watkins ran a greater variety of routes than any of his Ole Miss teammates. Per Sports Info Solutions, Watkins ran 34 unique routes, putting him in the top 20 in the draft class at the position. That number was 10 more...
