Rookie initiations rarely translate to immediate impacts from 49ers’ wide receivers, as Jordan Watkins has already heard.

“They kind of spoke to me about what it takes to be a 49er, especially as a rookie in Coach (Kyle) Shanahan’s system. It’s going to be tough,” Watkins said last month, minutes after becoming a fourth-round draft pick.

This is Shanahan’s ninth year leading the 49ers, and the 49ers have drafted 13 wide receivers in that span. Career paths have varied, after a rigorous onboarding process that demands rookies learn and execute every detail, with versatility to boot.

Now, with organized team activities underway this week, Watkins must find a way to emerge from a 12-man unit. His 4.37-second speed in the 40-yard dash should help, so should his five years of experience in the collegiate ranks.

The 49ers could bolster their receiving corps by adding a veteran next week, when it helps their 2026 compensatory-pick formula. But this offseason’s emphasis has been to get younger, faster and cheaper, so players like Watkins can be groomed as the next wave of homegrown stars.

“It’s going to be hard to be able to work my way up onto the field as a rookie,” Watkins said. “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.”

Some excelled right away, such as Deebo Samuel (2019) and Brandon Aiyuk (2020). Others’ entry paths got sidetracked by injury, such as 2019 camp phenom Jalen Hurd and 2024 top pick Ricky Pearsall, the latter of whom was limited in his rookie year OTAs and wore a no-contact jersey because of a repeatedly dislocated shoulder.

At age 23, Watkins isn’t a raw project, and he’s only 13 ½ months younger than Brock Purdy. Watkins’ 5-foot-11, 196-pound frame may not seem daunting, but it resembles what Shanahan often seeks, especially for slot-receiver duties.

The 49ers’ depth chart, if all are healthy, might read: Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, Watkins, Trent Taylor, Russell Gage Jr., Terique Owens, Isaiah Hodgins, Junior Bergen and Isaiah Neyor.

Of course, not all will be healthy Week 1, and Aiyuk conceivably could miss at least the first four games on the physically-unable-to-perform list.

“There is going to be opportunity to be able to step in and make those big plays that are needed to win football games,” said Watkins, who played 60 games and caught 185 passes (18 touchdowns) over five college seasons, having transferred after two years at Louisville (his birthplace) to three seasons at Mississippi.

When it comes to production, look no further than his 254-yard, five-touchdown record-setter against Arkansas in 2024, although he also went out with a 180-yard, two-touchdown bang in his college finale in a Gator Bowl win over Duke.

If Watkins looks like a seasoned pro from the outset, he could help cover for potential early-season absences of Aiyuk, who is seven months into knee-reconstruction recovery, and Demarcus Robinson, who could face a suspension for alleged drunken driving last season. And don’t forget that Deebo Samuel was traded to Washington in March.