SANTA CLARA — The 49ers waited until their sixth pick of the 2025 NFL Draft to take an offensive player in Jordan Watkins. 

The Ole Miss wide receiver shared he is ready for what it will take to become a player in Kyle Shanahan’s system.

“It’s going to be tough,” Watkins said Saturday via video. “It’s going to be hard to work my way up onto the field as a rookie. But I think what made San Francisco really special is that they really care about football there, and they told me if you really care about football, then you’re going to fit in great here.”

The 49ers don’t often see rookie wide receivers take on prominent roles in their first season due to the complexity of Shanahan’s system and the responsibilities placed on the position to block.

Watkins shared that Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin emphasized the same need for receivers to do more than just catch passes.

“Coach Kiffin emphasizes blocking a lot,” Watkins said. “I think there are a lot of similarities between Coach Kiffin’s offense and the way that Coach Shanahan does things. They like to get down and dirty a little bit with their receivers, whether we’re blocking defensive ends or cracking linebackers.”

Watkins will have a chance to work his way into the lineup following Deebo Samuel’s departure to the Washington Commanders and the uncertain timeline of Brandon Aiyuk’s return from an ACL injury.

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The wideout, who ran a 4.37 40-yard dash, is ready to put in the work to be ready when his number is called. Maybe what spoke to Watkins the most was how welcome he felt during his visit to team headquarters.

“I felt the energy in the room and around the facility,” Watkins said. “They really showed that they really cared about me and that they were very interested in drafting me.” 

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