During his visit, Watkins got a glimpse of what it takes to succeed as a rookie wideout in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s system.
“It’s going to be tough,” Watkins told reporters shortly after being drafted on Saturday. “It’s going to be hard to be able to work my way up onto the field as a rookie. 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.”
Watkins sees similarities between what was asked of him at Ole Miss and what will be expected with the 49ers, especially when it comes to wide receivers being physical in the blocking game.
“They like to get down and dirty a little bit with their receivers, whether we’re blocking defensive ends or cracking linebackers,” Watkins said of his time at Ole Miss. “So there’s a lot of similarity between how we did it at Ole Miss and how Coach Shanahan runs his system.”
Position versatility is another strength for Watkins. He said he doesn’t favor a specific receiver spot and embraces any matchup challenge, whether working out of the slot or lining up outside. With Deebo Samuel no longer on the roster and Brandon Aiyuk recovering from an injury, Watkins recognizes an opportunity to make an impact early.
When asked about the challenges of transitioning from college to the NFL, Watkins pointed to mastering the playbook as the biggest hurdle.
“I guess the playbook,” Watkins admitted, “because having a traditional-style NFL offense compared to what we had at Ole Miss is a lot different because having time in and out between plays and things like that, compared to being at Ole Miss to where it’s so fast and it’s rapid, it’s rapid, it’s rapid. And I think that’ll be the biggest adjustment for me.”