Rookie initiations hardly ever translate to rapid impacts from 49ers’ large receivers, as Jordan Watkins has already heard.
“They kind of spoke to me about what it takes to be a 49er, especially as a rookie in Coach (Kyle) Shanahan’s system. It’s going to be tough,” Watkins mentioned final month, minutes after changing into a fourth-round draft choose.
That is Shanahan’s ninth yr main the 49ers, and the 49ers have drafted 13 large receivers in that span. Profession paths have assorted, after a rigorous onboarding course of that calls for rookies study and execute each element, with versatility besides.
Now, with organized workforce actions underway this week, Watkins should discover a option to emerge from a 12-man unit. His 4.37-second pace within the 40-yard sprint ought to assist, so ought to his 5 years of expertise within the collegiate ranks.
The 49ers may bolster their receiving corps by including a veteran subsequent week, when it helps their 2026 compensatory-pick system. However this offseason’s emphasis has been to get youthful, quicker and cheaper, so gamers like Watkins may be groomed as the following wave of homegrown stars.
“It’s going to be hard to be able to work my way up onto the field as a rookie,” Watkins added. “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.”
Some excelled straight away, corresponding to Deebo Samuel (2019) and Brandon Aiyuk (2020). Others’ entry paths obtained sidetracked by damage, corresponding to 2019 camp phenom Jalen Hurd and 2024 prime choose Ricky Pearsall, the latter of whom was restricted in his rookie yr OTAs and wore a no-contact jersey due to a repeatedly dislocated shoulder.
At age 23, Watkins isn’t a uncooked challenge, and he’s solely 13 ½ months youthful than Brock Purdy. Watkins’ 5-foot-11, 196-pound body could not appear daunting, but it surely resembles what Shanahan typically seeks, particularly for slot-receiver duties.
The 49ers’ depth chart, if all are wholesome, would possibly learn: Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, Watkins, Trent Taylor, Russell Gage Jr., Terique Owens, Isaiah Hodgins, Junior Bergen and Isaiah Neyor.
After all, not all might be wholesome Week 1, and Aiyuk conceivably may miss not less than the primary 4 video games on the physically-unable-to-perform listing.
“There is going to be opportunity to be able to step in and make those big plays that are needed to win football games,” mentioned Watkins, who performed 60 video games and caught 185 passes (18 touchdowns) over 5 school seasons, having transferred after two years at Louisville (his birthplace) to 3 seasons at Mississippi.
Relating to manufacturing, look no additional than his 254-yard, five-touchdown record-setter towards Arkansas in 2024, though he additionally went out with a 180-yard, two-touchdown bang in his school finale in a Gator Bowl win over Duke.
If Watkins appears like a seasoned professional from the outset, he may assist cowl for potential early-season absences of Aiyuk, who’s seven months into knee-reconstruction restoration, and Demarcus Robinson, who may face a suspension for alleged drunken driving final season. And don’t neglect that Deebo Samuel was traded to Washington in March.
Right here is how 49ers’ draft picks have fared of their rookie seasons below Shanahan forward of this yr’s efforts from Watkins and seventh-rounder Junior Bergen, the latter of whom is envisioned extra as a return specialist:
Trent Taylor (2017, fifth spherical)
Rookie yr: 43 catches, 60 targets, 430 yards, two TDs (30 punt returns, 281 yards)
Observe: Taylor spent his first 4 seasons with the 49ers, and his rookie season was his finest earlier than 2019 foot surgical procedure waylaid him. He returned final yr, totally on the apply squad.
Dante Pettis (2018, second spherical)
Rookie yr: 27 catches, 45 targets, 467 yards, 5 TDs (9 punt returns, 27 yards)
Observe: Pettis’ wiggly body couldn’t escape coach Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse, resulting in a November 2020 launch.
Richie James (2018, seventh spherical)
Rookie yr: 9 catches, 14 targets, 130 yards, one TD; (12 punt returns, 75 yards)
Observe: James’ game-ending backflip within the 49ers’ victory formation was a staple of the 2019 workforce’s Tremendous Bowl run. He peppered the Packers for 184 yards in a 2020 Thursday night time loss. Knee surgical procedure ended his tenure earlier than a fourth Niners season.
Deebo Samuel (2019, second spherical)
Rookie yr: 57 catches, 81 targets, 802 yards, 3 TD (159 yards speeding, 3 TDs)
Observe: Samuel’s 802 receiving yards are second solely to Jerry Rice (927) amongst rookies in 49ers historical past, and Samuel’s three 100-yard video games have been probably the most by a 49ers rookie. That set the stage for a six-season tenure that peaked with a 2021 All-Professional nod, and ended with March’s commerce to Washington.
Jalen Hurd (2019, third spherical)
Rookie yr: Didn’t play
Observe: Two landing catches within the 2019 preseason opener turned Hurd right into a mythological All-Professional. Again and knee accidents put him on injured reserve for 3 straight years. He by no means performed a regular-season snap earlier than his November 2021 launch.
Brandon Aiyuk (2020, first spherical)
Rookie yr: 60 catches, 96 targets, 748 yards, 5 TDs (77 speeding yards, 2 TDs)
Observe: The twenty fifth general choose produced some of the productive rookie seasons in 49ers historical past, rating second in receptions, third in receiving yards, and third in whole touchdowns. His fifth season was minimize brief final October by a knee damage.
Jauan Jennings (2020, seventh spherical)
Rookie yr: Follow squad
Observe: Jennings began his rookie yr on the apply squad earlier than a hamstring tear despatched him onto injured reserve in late October. He’s since blossomed right into a premier, bodily participant, culminating in a team-high 975 yards final season. He’s getting into the ultimate yr of his contract.
Danny Grey (2022, third spherical)
Rookie yr: One catch, seven targets, 10 yards, no touchdowns
Observe: The speedy Grey caught a 76-yard landing cross from Trey Lance within the 2022 preseason opener, then vanished. He obtained on the sphere solely 13 profession video games and didn’t make the 2024 roster.
Ronnie Bell (2023, seventh spherical)
Rookie yr: six catches, 13 targets, 68 yards, 3 TDs (10 punt returns, 70 yards)
Observe: Bell had solely six catches as a rookie however three went for touchdowns. He was waived final Nov. 29, two months after a devastating drop that foiled a Week 3 comeback try on the Los Angeles Rams.
Ricky Pearsall (2024, first spherical)
Rookie yr: 31 catches, 46 targets, 400 yards, 3 TDs (45 speeding yards, one TD)
Observe: After lacking the primary six video games whereas recovering from a Labor Day weekend capturing in San Francisco, the thirty first general choose tallied 31 receptions general, and he racked up 210 yards and two touchdowns in his remaining two video games.
Jacob Cowing (2024, fourth spherical)
Rookie yr: 4 catches, six targets, 80 yards, no TDs (28 punt returns, 245 yards)
Observe: He was scarcely seen on offense (11% of snaps) and barely focused, thus inspiring what hass allegedly been a formidable 2025 offseason transformation. He additionally ran the 40 on the mix below 4.4 seconds en path to a fourth-round choice (see: Watkins, 2025).
