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The 49ers’ offensive line gave Brock Purdy a split-second of extra time on a snap late in Tuesday’s practice, and that’s all he and receiver Jordan Watkins needed.
The rookie spent Purdy’s extra hitch sprinting past defensive backs Darrell Luter Jr. and Jason Pinnock. Purdy’s deep ball, which followed the trajectory of a rainbow, had little issue finding its target. Watkins grabbed it in stride for what would’ve been a 70-yard touchdown in game action.
Watkins has wasted no time acclimating to the NFL since the 49ers drafted him in the fourth round out of Ole Miss. He was an instant standout during the spring program and has carried over that productivity in training camp. Purdy obviously trusts Watkins; that’s why the rookie was the unexpected target on an off-schedule play that headlined Monday’s practice.
“He’s another guy we’re impressed with mentally,” 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said Tuesday of Watkins. “He did a good job in the spring — obviously he had a good OTA — but coming back and just starting to stack days, that’s the strain on a rookie. Obviously, there’s the strain on your body, but then the mental strain of showing up to practice every day and being on it. And he does that, right? He has shown that he can handle the mental load.”
From the physical standpoint, the 49ers first fell in love with Watkins’ speed. His 4.37 40-yard dash and 1.53 10-yard split times are both elite for the wide receiver position. And though Watkins measured 5-foot-11 and 196 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine, both below average, his frame doesn’t look out of place on the practice field, and he has filled out his shoulder pads well over the past two days.
The 49ers put considerable stock into the “gauntlet drill” at the NFL Combine, which evaluates a receiver’s ability to catch passes while running at full speed. Coach Kyle Shanahan even said Watkins was the 49ers’ top-graded receiver in the gauntlet.
Perhaps it’s not surprising that Watkins is vibing with Purdy and putting his speed to good use. The new connection has come at an opportune time, as the 49ers’ receiver room is short on bodies, with both Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings — who’s day-to-day with a calf issue — out of practice. The team also gave Ricky Pearsall a day off Tuesday, part of the planned camp buildup for the second-year receiver.
The 49ers expect all of those bigger-name receivers back at some point in this regular season, so Watkins probably won’t be as featured in the offense as he is right now. But for a team that finished dead last in average yards of separation at the time of catch or incompletion in 2024, Watkins’ speed can undoubtedly still be of immense value to the 49ers.
Consider how good Purdy has been when real opportunities have arisen to throw the ball deep. In 2023, Purdy completed 58% of his throws traveling over 20 yards — the second-best clip in the NFL. In 2024, even when injuries fueled the 49ers’ brutal separation issues, Purdy’s completion rate on such throws dropped only to No. 8 in the league. The windows of opportunity were just much smaller last season.
The moral of the story is simple: 49ers receivers just need to get open. They can do so deep, they can do so on shorter concepts, or they can do so with a mix of both — by using competent deep threats to stretch the field and create more space for Purdy’s weapons to operate underneath.
Early returns from the offseason training program suggest that Watkins might be a useful tool for that specific goal.
Practice notes
• Defensive end Tarron Jackson was discharged from Stanford Hospital on Sunday night a few hours after a scary incident on the practice field. He was back in the 49ers’ facility the next day. The team has placed Jackson on injured reserve as medical personnel continue to evaluate him.
The 49ers signed edge rusher Jaylon Allen to take Jackson’s roster spot. Allen was a younger college teammate of 49ers edge rusher Bryce Huff at Memphis. Both have similar speed-rushing builds, although Huff is about 10 pounds heavier than the 245-pound Allen.
• Tuesday’s session wasn’t as long as Monday’s marathon, but it was competitive again. The typical tempers of training camp are beginning to flare. At one point, rookie defensive tackle CJ West seemed to upset an entire group of offensive linemen. West got into a brief post-play shoving match with center Matt Hennessy.
West was coming off a spectacular practice Monday, his first in the NFL with pads. He won all five of his one-on-one matchups during that session.
“First day is a different vibe,” Huff said. “I definitely felt that energy from [West] since he had a dominant day out there.”
The O-line fared better against West on Tuesday. Undrafted rookie Drew Moss even stonewalled him on a rep. But West still notched a couple of wins, then succeeded in antagonizing Hennessy and others.
Perhaps this all goes back to what West said right after the 49ers drafted him.
“I just abuse centers, punch them in the face,” West said. “Be as violent as possible. Create havoc down there in the middle.”
• Purdy threw an interception to linebacker Luke Gifford on Tuesday. Backup QB Mac Jones then finished practice throwing a pick-six to cornerback Tre Avery, which fired up the defense. That side of the ball earned the last laugh entering Wednesday’s day off.
• Aside from Watkins’ catch on the deep pass, the biggest completions of Tuesday came courtesy of Kittle and receiver Demarcus Robinson. Both hauled in chunk gains from Purdy early in the session. Veteran receiver Russell Gage also caught a contested touchdown in the corner of the end zone, continuing his hot start to camp.
• Rookie defensive end Mykel Williams missed practice with what the 49ers are terming a minor ankle injury. The team will next take the practice field Thursday. Pearsall will be back for that session, and we’ll see if Williams will join him.