The 49ers waited until the end of Round 4 to grab an offensive player, and wide receiver Jordan Watkins is a useful tool for Kyle Shanahan.
The San Francisco 49ers took forever to select an offensive player in the 2025 NFL Draft, waiting until the very end of Round 4 to finally get a piece for head coach Kyle Shanahan on that side of the ball.
The selection? Ole Miss wide receiver Jordan Watkins at No. 138 overall.
Watkins bucked the Niners' previous trend of selecting defensive players only, which wasn't exactly a bad approach in light of their defensive woes last season.
Playmaker on the offense 💪 pic.twitter.com/Xav60jkV0x
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) April 26, 2025
However, in light of San Francisco bidding farewell to All-Pro wideout Deebo Samuel earlier this offseason, and fully aware that perceived No. 1 wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk could miss the beginning of 2025 because of the torn ACL and MCL suffered a year ago, reinforcing the depth chart here had to be a priority.
49ers will bank on Jordan Watkins speed and versatility
At 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, Watkins isn't going to necessarily win a lot of one-on-one matchups where 50-50 balls will be in play.
That said, Shanahan got back to his modus operandi by selecting a fast receiver. The former Rebel ran a 4.37 40-yard time back at the NFL Scouting Combine, and boasting that speed could help Shanahan open up things underneath for bigger playmakers like Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall.
The 49ers tried and failed to turn former wide receiver Danny Gray into a decoy deep threat, so it's feasibly they use Watkins in a similar role where he doesn't necessarily get a lot of targets early on but still can pull defensive backs with him.
In the interim, though, Watkins might find success in another area of need: special teams.
Watkins had 36 punt returns over his five-year collegiate career, split between Ole Miss and Louisville, averaging 8.1 yards per attempt.
That might be where he makes more of an immediate on-field impact.