Eric Branch·
Is the team moving on from wide receivers Jordan Watkins and @Jacob Cowing ?
What went wrong with their development, or talent assessment? Injuries have been the biggest issues for the recent fourth-round picks, which led me to refresh my memory: Were these guys injury prone in college? In fact, it was the opposite. Cowing was never sidelined in his 58-game career, and Watkins played in 57 of 60 games. (Welcome to Santa Clara, the Strained Soft Tissue Capital of the World). Despite their lack of impact, however, it’s easy to see Watkins and Cowing both making the 53-man roster. The 49ers are likely to keep six wideouts and Evans, Pearsall, Kirk and Stribling are locks. That figures to leave Watkins and Cowing battling Demarcus Robinson for the final two spots. The best that can be said about Robinson’s debut 2025 season with the 49ers: He had one good game! Watkins is a 2025 pick. That means he’d need to channel A. J. Jenkins in training camp for the 49ers to give up on him after one season. Cowing, a 2024 pick, is on shakier ground. Unlike Robinson, however, he provides special-teams value. He was a serviceable punt returner as a rookie and he’s among the top candidates to take over this season after Skyy Moore signed with the Packers. Watkins and Cowing are like many of the 49ers’ recent draft picks. The jury is still out, but the arrow isn’t up.