49ers select Mississippi WR Jordan Watkins in 4th round of 2025 NFL Draft

The San Francisco 49ers selected Mississippi wide receiver Jordan Watkins with the 36th pick (No. 138 overall) in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. This is the team's sixth selection of the draft, and their first used on an offensive player.

NFL Scouting Combine:
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Watkins posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.37 seconds, a vertical jump of 36.5 inches, and a broad jump of 9 feet, 11 inches.

Measurements:
Watkins is 5-foot-11 and 196 pounds. Additionally, he boasts an arm length of 29 3/8 inches and hands measuring 9 1/8 inches.

Hometown:
Louisville, KY

College Statistics:
Watkins registered 49 receptions for 906 yards and nine touchdowns through 12 games as a senior in 2024, per Sports Reference. Over his five collegiate seasons, he caught 185 passes for 2,682 yards with 18 touchdowns, transferring from Louisville to Ole Miss in 2022.

Lance Zierlein's NFL.com scouting report:
Compact wideout possessing good play strength and average athleticism. Watkins was schemed into favorable downfield opportunities at Ole Miss but is better suited for work as a possession slot receiver in the pros. He lacks speed but does a good job of playing through contact and competing for space. He's a body-catcher with a poor catch radius but grabs what's on target and carries the ball like a running back after the catch. Watkins lacks length and explosiveness but his toughness and ability to return punts could give him a puncher's chance.

NFL.com Draft Bio:

• 2020 (Louisville): Played in 9 games as a reserve (8-57-7.1 receiving; 1-23-23.0, TD rushing; 11-198-18.0 KR).
• 2021 (Louisville): Played in 12 games (35-529-15.1, 4 TDs receiving; 1-28-28.0 KR; 8-85-10.6 PR).
• 2022: Played in all 13 games with 10 starts (40-449-11.2, 2 TDs receiving; 13-68-5.2 PR).
• 2023: Played in all 13 games with 11 starts (53-741-14.0, 3 TDs receiving; 12-114-9.5, TD PR). Had surgery on his right hand during the team's bye week.
• 2024: Led team with 9 receiving TDs (49-906-18.5). Played in 12 games with 8 starts (3-20-6.7 rushing; 3-24-8.0 PR).

Pre-Draft Grade:
Watkins earned a pre-draft grade of 5.8 from NFL.com, which equates to an "average backup or special-teams player," per the site's 8-point grading scale.

Projection:
NFL.com projected Watkins to be a sixth- or seventh-round draft pick.