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Kyle Shanahan has high hopes for former Ole Miss receiver

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Cite

Murray, T. L. (2026, September 25). Kyle Shanahan has high hopes for former Ole Miss receiver. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/25/sports/kyle-shanahan-ready-for-jordan-watkins-to-make-most-of-opportunity/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-09-25 · by Thomas L. Murray

Quick Summary

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is optimistic about former Ole Miss receiver Jordan Watkins stepping into a starting role due to injuries. Watkins, drafted in the fourth round of the 2025 draft, is set to fill in for Demarcus Robinson who is out with an ankle injury for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals. Despite being sidelined recently due to special teams duties rather than receiver play, Shanahan believes Watkins has improved significantly and could be a valuable asset this season.
Written by AI on 2026-09-25, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The San Francisco 49ers are dealing with significant injuries in their wide receiver room. Head coach Kyle Shanahan is optimistic about former Ole Miss player Jordan Watkins, who was selected as a fourth-round pick in the 2025 draft but has been sidelined due to special teams considerations rather than receiving skills. Despite this, Shanahan believes Watkins could have played in Week 1 if it were purely based on his receiver abilities. This optimism comes as Demarcus Robinson is out for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals due to an ankle injury sustained in their second game of the season against the Los Angeles Rams. Robinson had shown promise with two receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown in that first game, but injuries have continued to affect his playtime this season.

Written for “NFL Offseason Moves” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 NFL Offseason Moves
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 6% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 30 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the 49ers' situation with their wide receivers; Article A focuses on injuries and player shortages, while Article B highlights optimism about a particular player's improvement.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
1 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-25 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 15411 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Thomas L. Murray
152 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 During halftime of the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys matchup on Monday Night Football, the NFL announced that Jay-Z would be performing the halftime show for Super Bowl 61 at SoFi Stadium.
🔮 The 49ers got good news on the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday morning when John Lynch appeared on KNBR and said he could return after the bye, when they face the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 8.
🔮 The Dream will host the Golden State Valkyries at 12:30 p.m. EST at State Farm Arena, the same day the Hawks will play the Cavaliers in an NBA game at 8:00 p.m. EST.
🔮 Rojas said on the broadcast that he will always cherish the moments the Dodgers organization did for his son son Aaron, like when his teammates would take him to the outfield to shag fly balls.
🔮 Johnson opened up the video and said all he could do is “sit here and laugh.”
🔮 “There goes that man!” @jedwhelchel wrote on X. While the live broadcast gave fans something to laugh at, Raiders fans might feel the other way, as they are in the middle of the third quarter, trailing the Rams 28-6, and on their way to their fourth straight loss.
🔮 And they could still have a long way to go before they get their first win.
🔮 Before the Detroit Lions hosted the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field on Sunday afternoon, quarterback Jared Goff was going to need all the support he could get.
🔮 After the Warriors fell to 0-3, following a 131-122 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night, Kerr wasn’t shy to point out some areas the rookie will need to grow in his development.
🔮 Moments before the Valkyries and the Dream were set to play Game 3 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday night, former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom said he was kicked out of State Farm Arena.
Also by Thomas L. Murray
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 152 articles by Thomas L. Murray →

Topics

Instagram Ole Miss TikTok YouTube the San Francisco 49ers

Subjects

Shanahan PERSON · 5× Robinson PERSON · 4× Watkins PERSON · 4× Instagram ORG · 2× Ole Miss GPE · 2× TikTok ORG · 2× YouTube ORG · 2× Jordan Watkins PERSON · 1× Kyle Shanahan PERSON · 1× the San Francisco 49ers ORG · 1×

Narrative

Rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, who was selected in the first round out of Ole Miss, is currently on the team’s injured reserve after he exited their Week 1 opener against the Rams due to a deltoid ligament sprain.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-25
🔮 If it were just on receiver base and things like that, I think he would have got up Week 1.”
2026-09-25 · New York Post
Kyle Shanahan has high hopes for former Ole Miss receiver · assertive framing

Claims (17 extracted, 1 hedged)

Despite an early 2-0 start to the season, the San Francisco 49ers are already having to embrace a next-man-up mentality. asserted
49ers → have → mentality
With the wide receiver room decimated by injuries, head coach Kyle Shanahan appears excited to see former 2025 fourth-round pick, out of Ole Miss, Jordan Watkins make the most of his opportunity this weekend. asserted
pick → decimate → opportunity
“I think he’s gotten a lot better in a lot of facets,” Shanahan said. asserted
Shanahan → think → facets
“I think him not being up in these last couple of games has been more on because of special teams than a receiver deal. asserted
being → think → deal
If it were just on receiver base and things like that, I think he would have got up Week 1.” asserted
he → think → that
Watkins is expected to fill in for Demarcus Robinson, who Shanahan officially ruled out on Friday for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. asserted
Shanahan → expect → Cardinals
Last week, Robinson suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the game. asserted
Robinson → suffer → game
The loss of Robinson stings for San Francisco, as he proved in their first game of the season, he could be a weapon in Shanahan’s offense after logging two receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams. uncertain
he → sting → Rams
Before his injury, he had three catches for 34 yards against the Dolphins. asserted
he → have → Dolphins
Injuries have riddled the 49ers wide receiver room in the young season, as they are also without veteran Christian Kirk and third-year Ricky Pearsall, who is out for the season after having knee surgery. asserted
who → riddle → surgery
Rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, who was selected in the first round out of Ole Miss, is currently on the team’s injured reserve after he exited their Week 1 opener against the Rams due to a deltoid ligament sprain. asserted
he → select → sprain
Future Hall of Famer Mike Evans has also been a concern at the position, as he’s been dealing with a hip injury since Sunday. asserted
he → deal → Sunday
With Watkins slated to fill in for Robinson at the slot position, they’re hoping the success he had in the preseason can carry over into the regular season. asserted
he → slat → season
Watkins took a step forward in his development this summer by hauling in 13 receptions for 164 yards and a touchdown. asserted
Watkins → take → yards
Shanahan said he knows Watkins is ready for the opportunity to play this week, as he’s been asked by the second-year wideout about ways he can move up the depth chart. asserted
he → say → chart
“He’s been fighting to get up,” Shanahan said. asserted
Shanahan → fight → ?
While Robinson will have an opportunity this weekend, it’s also his job to make sure he doesn’t lose it, as the team recently signed veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks to their roster as a safety blanket. asserted
team → have → blanket
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