The San Francisco 49ers have had a busy offseason but there are more parts going out than there are coming in. Wide receiver has been San Francisco’s chief export over the past month as they traded Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders and made calls about the availability of Brandon Aiyuk.
While the 49ers added Demarcus Robinson in free agency, San Francisco has still been on the lookout for more deals. On Saturday, they may have cleared the path to make one as their fourth-round pick opens up trade possibilities as they get closer to the start of the 2025 season.
49ers Could Trade a Receiver After Picking Jordan Watkins in NFL Draft
The 49ers selected Ole Miss wide receiver Jordan Watkins in the fourth round (138th overall) of the NFL Draft. The 5-foot-11, 196-pound receiver is short on size, but he put up fantastic production with the Rebels, catching 49 passes for 906 yards and nine touchdowns last season.
Watkins also turned heads with a 4.37-second time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and lined up both on the outside and in the slot in Lane Kiffin’s offense.
The addition of Watkins comes at an interesting time. The 49ers are currently waiting for Aiyuk to recover from a torn ACL and MCL suffered last October but their wide receiver is crowded with 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall leading the way. San Francisco also has Jauan Jennings in the slot and added Demarcus Robinson in free agency. But Terique Owens, Russell Gage Jr. and Isaiah Hodgins are also there, giving the 49ers seven receivers on the roster.
We already know the 49ers have fielded calls on Aiyuk but haven’t been able to trade him due to the $37.9 million in dead money they would eat in a pre-June 1 deal. Jennings is also in the second year of a two-year, $11.8 million contract extension signed last year and would cost San Francisco $8.2 million in a pre-June 1 trade.
But the receiver room could be on notice as the 49ers look to make a deal. While they have plenty of depth, they now have options and could make another move that helps bolster another area of the roster ahead of next season.