The San Francisco 49ers have some small but impactful changes to their wide receiver room this offseason, including trading Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders for a fifth-round pick, signing Demarcus Robinson to a two-year, $8 million deal and having Chris Conley retire.
On top of that, they selected Jordan Watkins and Junior Bergen in the fourth and seventh rounds of the 2025 NFL draft, respectively, before signing Isaiah Neyor as an undrafted free agent.
With Brandon Aiyuk likely missing the start of the upcoming season due to a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus that ended his 2024 campaign in Week 7, the 49ers will be looking to some of these guys to step up and take on a larger role alongside Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing.
Following rookie minicamp, organized team activities and mandatory minicamp, ESPN recently had their staff identify the biggest surprise for each team throughout their offseason program, and Nick Wagoner chose Watkins.
“The fourth-round pick out of Mississippi had no shortage of opportunities to work with starting quarterback Brock Purdy because fellow wideouts Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall missed time with injuries,” Wagoner wrote. “It’s difficult to get on the field and produce in Kyle Shanahan’s offense as a rookie receiver, but Watkins looked smooth running the intermediate routes that are a staple of Shanahan’s scheme. He consistently made plays in practice.”
As Wagoner mentions, rookies haven’t consistently popped in their first seasons with the 49ers under Shanahan, but they have had some solid contributors. Since Shanahan took over as the team’s head coach in 2017, five wide receivers have finished their rookie seasons with at least 400 yards receiving, including Samuel (802), Aiyuk (748), Dante Pettis (467), Trent Taylor (430) and Pearsall (400).
If the 49ers want to be the best version of themselves, they’ll need the 23-year-old Watkins, who caught 185 passes for 2,682 yards and 18 touchdowns between his time at Louisville and Ole Miss, to be a usable weapon for Purdy early in the season and a solid depth piece once Aiyuk returns to the field.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers’ Jordan Watkins viewed as the team’s biggest surprise