5 things to know about 49ers fourth-round pick WR Jordan Watkins

The final selection of the fourth round in the 2025 NFL Draft went to the San Francisco 49ers, who used it to select their first offensive player of the draft in wide receiver Jordan Watkins of Ole Miss.

Watkins is a player the 49ers had their eye on during the pre-draft process as he filled one of the team's 30 allotted private visits. Where does he fit in with the 49ers? Let's take a look at what to know about Watkins as he gets his NFL career underway.

A player who could help out on offense or special teams

Watkins (5-11, 196) joins a 49ers receiving room that includes Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, Isaiah Hodgins, Trent Taylor, and Jacob Cowing. According to The Draft Network, Watkins saw plenty of time on the outside as well as in the slot at Ole Miss.

"Watkins is a compact receiver, coming in under six feet tall but around 200 pounds, and he played all over for the Ole Miss offense," wrote Daniel Harms of the Draft Network. "Most of his snaps came from the slot in 2022 and 2023, but he played more than 65% of his snaps on the outside in 2024 and showed an impressive release package in his tool bag."

Watkins, who was clocked at 4.37 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, also served as a punt returner at Ole Miss. He only returned three punts for 13 yards in 2024 but had 12 returns for 114 yards and a 70-yard touchdown in 2023 and 13 returns for 68 yards in 2022. Perhaps that will help him compete for a spot against Taylor and Cowing, two players who have also returned punts in their careers.

What a day

Watkins had 49 catches for 906 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024, with a chunk of that production coming in one game. In a 63-31 win over Arkansas, Watkins caught eight passes from Giants first-round pick Jaxson Dart for a school-record 254 yards and five touchdowns.

Watch the highlights from that game below:

"He was huge," Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said, via the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger. "We moved him throughout the game, both right and left, moving him for matchups. I just really thought those were in our favor."

Playing for bigger things

Watkins understandably had other things on his mind during that game against Arkansas after becoming a father two weeks earlier. His daughter, Kamrynn Grae, arrived two weeks early, which threw his life for a loop heading into the game.

"It was chaotic," Watkins said, per the Clarion-Ledger. "It's a good thing that I have my teammates around me and they were able to pick me up. Obviously having the performance I did today, that's all because of them."

From that point on, Watkins knew he had something else to work for, which eventually would come his way courtesy of the 49ers.

"I really hate being away from her right now, but I know if I just keep doing what I need to do on the football field, things will take care of itself and I'll be able to make sure that she's good for the rest of her life," Watkins said. "That's all that matters to me. It's bigger than me now."

Coming out of "no-where"

The first time it became obvious Watkins had rare gifts was when he showed up unexpectedly to a youth football league practice at age 11 after moving to Louisville from Russell County, Kentucky. The team's coach, Tim Richardson, was befuddled.

"No one knew who he was," Richardson told The Athletic. "We didn't know what to do with him."

Watkins' stepfather Austin Baker told BigRedLouie.com that Watkins was given a jersey that read "NO-WHERE" on the back due to no one knowing where he came from.

"When he first got to Louisville and was playing junior football, he had a jersey that didn't even have his last name on it. It had 'Nowhere' on it. Nobody knew where he was from, so everybody called him 'Nowhere'", Baker said.

Watkins quickly proved to be something more than just another practice player. He was so good that Richardson decided to hand him the ball as much as possible.

"I had him touch it about every other play," Richardson said. "He might have had 35 touchdowns that season."

A happy ending

Watkins had some adversity as a child when his mother, Paula Baker, was arrested after making a drug deal when Watkins was eight years old. Baker had struggled with addiction throughout her life, and her arrest led her to go from jail to a recovery center. She was away for two years, which was difficult for Watkins, but she overcame her addiction and re-entered Watkins' life. Eventually, the two reconciled and she helped put together enough money to get him into a private school, which put his football career on a new path after being declared ineligible due to suspensions at his previous school.

Baker has been clean ever since, while Watkins has used his experience to speak out against addiction, as seen in the video below.

Mentioned in this article: Jacob Cowing, Ricky Pearsall, Jordan Watkins