Mac Jones on 49ers choosing Lance over him, why he was meant to join Shanahan
“And I felt like I had really good interviews,” Jones said. “Kyle really liked what I was doing on Zoom. My Zoom setup was incredible. I had the whiteboard and all the right s–t. I’m like, I’m gonna do this right. So, I had it all, and I would go in there and show tape and try and show them what my superpower is, which is my ability to process and be smart, and also like rip it, and show them that I have that side of me too.”
He entered draft night believing he had a legitimate chance to land in San Francisco.
“So I think I had good interviews, and leading up to it, I was like feeling good about it,” Jones said. “And I met with a bunch of teams, and a lot of teams thought I was going to be gone, so they didn’t even meet with me. Anyways, so like the day comes, and I ended up not getting picked by them, and I didn’t really know. It was 50/50. We really didn’t [know]. And they went with Trey, which is just fine. And Trey, I know Trey. He’s a good dude.
And I think, Kyle, he really wanted me to get back there somehow, like when I went to New England.
You could have just picked me at 12,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t know if I’m worth three first-round picks, but s–t, sign me up.”
49ers sign 4th-round pick Gracen Halton to 4-yr, $5.6M deal
“With the move, the 49ers have signed their entire 2026 draft class.”
Watch: 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey’s offseason workout routine
“As anticipation builds for the 2026 season, new video has surfaced showcasing McCaffrey’s offseason training routine as the star running back prepares for his 10th NFL campaign.”
49ers 90-in-90: Jordan Watkins reminds us of a pair of former Kyle Shanahan receivers
“I imagine Watkins will be the Skyy Moore of 2026, but a more complete version. During OTAs, Watkins and Jacob Cowing were the primary kick and punt returners. Rookie wideout Will Pauling mixed in here and there, but the former two are the starters. Watkins was the only one who didn’t muff a punt.
Watkins can have the same kind of splash returns as Moore without fielding the ball inside the five-yard line and driving everybody in the stadium crazy in the process.
They have similar body types; Watkins ran a 4.37 40, compared to Moore’s 4.41. Moore reaches his top speed quicker, and that’s what made him a successful punt returner. Watkins’ 10-yard split was in the 65th percentile, compared to Moore’s 98th percentile 10-yard split.
The team tried to use Moore on offense, but to no avail. He couldn’t shake free, no matter where Kyle Shanahan lined him up. Interestingly enough, Watkins played most of his snaps at “X” as the isolated receiver. He only ran 15 routes, so there’s not much film to go off of Watkins as a rookie. Still, his usage stood out.
The first target of the season went from Watkins’ hands on a sail concept, 15 yards downfield from Mac Jones. It’s a pass he should’ve caught, but those are the kind of routes you can run with a 4.3 wideout….Ultimately, Watkins proved he can be used as a blocker and perhaps be the Travis Benjamin-esque type of receiver in Shanahan’s offenses over the years. The wideout that runs the long developing routes down the field when the offense wants to hit the home run. But Watkins must work on his intermediate route running if he’s ever going to be a consistent threat.”