When the San Francisco 49ers used a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Ole Miss wide receiver Jordan Watkins, a general consensus might have been they were landing a niche offensive weapon who could fill a depth void while hopefully contributing enough on special teams.
Not much more than that.
Sure, the regular season will ultimately determine whether or not Watkins plays much of a role. But, with the Niners boasting some notable questions at the position in light of Deebo Samuel's offseason trade departure and Brandon Aiyuk's likely absence to start the year because of 2024's torn ACL and MCL, Watkins at least has an opportunity to shine.
So far, it seems as if he's doing just that.
While public viewership of San Francisco's organized team activities is limited, Watkins has been gaining recognition as he looks to climb the ranks behind the two presumed starters entering the year, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall.
As far as expectations go, Watkins might be the biggest standout from OTAs thus far.
Jordan Watkins is leading the 49ers pack at OTAs
During the second week of OTAs, Sports Illustrated's Grant Cohn (never one to omit critique) cited Watkins as one of the practice's best standouts by writing:
"Played with the starters, beat Deommodore Lenoir for a catch and ran the ball once as well. He might be the most impressive rookie on the field. He's balling."
Not only did Watkins reportedly beat the 49ers' top cornerback, Lenoir, but even just getting an opportunity with the first-team offense shows the rookie receiver is making some serious headway.
Niners coaches appear to be noticing, too, as wide receivers coach Leonard Hankerson dropped some notable comments about the day-three draftee during the practice sessions:
"He's able to take the top off the defense and get downfield. On top of that, he has great hands. Just his mentality after the catch, he's always trying to score, which we pride ourselves on, guys who can run with the ball in their hands. He has done that. He's still raw, but he has that "it" factor, that speed that we could use. I'm excited about having him here. He's taking a step in the right direction and I'm excited to see where he can get to."
It also appears as if quarterback Brock Purdy is beginning to look more and more in Watkins' direction during practices, too, which only bodes well for the rookie:
Purdy was later quoted by The Athletic's Vic Tafur as saying, "[Watkins] has been ballin'."
Watkins' ascent must be taken with context. OTAs are padless, meaning there isn't any physical contact or tackling. Press coverage and jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage won't happen until training camp, so it's impossible to fully gauge how effective the rookie will be in real-life situations.
However, watching the fourth-rounder make every positive stride possible at a time when San Francisco has plenty of question marks about its wide receiver depth is nothing short of positive.
