Austin Watkins was 49ers best undrafted free-agent signing

Of all the 49ers’ undrafted free agents in 2021, UAB wide receiver Austin Watkins has the best opportunity to make a sizable impact.

Following their selection of eight players in the 2021 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers only had a handful of open spots available to round out the 90-man offseason roster.

The Niners then spent the first few hours after the draft to bring aboard just four undrafted free agents into the fray:

• TE Josh Pederson, Louisiana-Monroe
• LB Justin Hilliard, Ohio State
• LB Elijah Sullivan, Kansas State
• WR Austin Watkins Jr., UAB

Justin Hilliard, with his $125,000 in guaranteed salary, is probably the strongest candidate to make San Francisco’s 53-man regular-season roster.

But Austin Watkins is surely the most intriguing of the four.

Watkins was going to be on the fringes of getting drafted. But as The Draft Network’s Justin Melo pointed out, Watkins could be one of those sleeper additions and appeared to be a priority free agent anyway, hence the quickness of the 49ers’ action on him:

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Watkins joins a deep but questionable crop of Niners wideouts vying for one of three or four depth spots behind the two presumed starters at the position, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, who are essentially the only two locks at wide receiver.

Yet Watkins does have a few advantages that could ultimately push him higher up the chain and potentially into a role where he can assume the job vacated by another former UDFA player, now-New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne.

What Austin Watkins can bring to 49ers

At 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds, Watkins is already among the taller wide receivers at head coach Kyle Shanahan’s disposal. And while Watkins might not have breakneck speed, he did hit that vital 4.50 40-yard time threshold, which is so crucial in determining which side of the speed equation a skill player will fall on.

On top of that, Watkins was more than productive at Birmingham. Sure, the competition within Conference USA wasn’t exactly top level. But for Watkins to at least thrive when given the chance says a good deal:

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
Generated 5/10/2021.

Watkins’ size and physicality open up the door for him to become a quality red-zone target and potential possession receiver on third downs — two roles Bourne had over the last four years. And Watkins might have a bit more upside in the speed game, too, while not lacking for quality hands capable of plucking contested passes out of the air.

Yet Watkins was pegged as a day-three pick/UDFA for a reason, and he’ll need to hone his route-running technique, footwork and separation skills to have any chance of hanging around for an extended period of time.

But if the 49ers are willing to work on these areas while being patient with him, Watkins could end up becoming a Bourne-like player.

Austin Watkins’ competition in 49ers training camp

The Niners are still seeking a starting slot option for 2021, and Shanahan hasn’t shied away from using big-slot players to occupy this role.

One of the names to watch here is veteran wideout Mohamed Sanu, who performed these duties for Shanahan back with the Atlanta Falcons in 2016.

Along with Sanu, Watkins figures to compete in training camp with other bigger-bodied wideouts like Jalen Hurd, Jauan Jennings, Trent Sherfield and Kevin White for one of the handful of spots on the depth chart.

In an ideal world, San Francisco would like Watkins to win a job over some of the other veteran names, as it would give the team better financial value while also allowing the 49ers to maintain contractual control over Watkins for the foreseeable future.

At the same time, though, Shanahan’s offense remains notoriously complex, whereas Watkins’ offensive system at UAB was notably simpler. The adjustment curve will be challenging, no doubt.

That said, Watkins should be a player to monitor during training camp as a potential hidden-gem addition and someone who could end up contributing to the offense sooner than later.