49ers WR De'Zhaun Stribling Might Have a Huge Rookie Year
Ross Johnston explains why the 49ers 2nd Round Draft Pick in WR De'Zhaun Stribling is primed for a great first year.
Video Transcript
I think DeJean Stribling is going to have a fantastic rookie year with the San Francisco 49ers, and I think without even seeing him play a snap of professional football, that they nailed this draft pick.
What's up y'all?
It's Ross Johnson with A to Z Sports, and it's awesome to see just after a couple days of training camp, Brock Purdy talking about his rookie receiver in this way.
You don't hear this a lot, him saying that he already has a ton of trust in DeJean Stribling early into camp.
That is an amazing thing to see and an amazing thing to hear.
Now, DeJean Stribling was obviously taken in the second round with the thirty-third pick by the 49ers in this past year's draft, and he put up over eight hundred yards and had six touchdowns last year at Ole Miss and was a very key weapon for them in their playoff push, obviously coming up short in the semifinals versus Miami.
Now, DeJean Stribling is six-two, two oh seven, and ran a four three six at the Combine, so he's got all the physical traits you need, and he's sitting behind a guy, maybe not sitting behind, but he's alongside a guy in Mike Evans, who is another physical specimen out there in his veteran age at the receiver position, a guy that DeJean can learn from tremendously in camp and during his rookie season.
Also, Adam Schefter came out and reported this week that multiple teams had been looking at getting DeJean in the second round of the NFL draft.
Specifically, Sean McVay and the LA Rams were targeting him all the way at pick sixty-one, and obviously he goes way earlier to the 49ers at thirty-three.
But that's gotta make you feel real good when you know that other teams were looking to scoop him up in the second round, and the Niners were the first ones to jump on him.
That would make me feel good, especially as a 49ers general manager, scout, coach, whatever it may be.
So as a fan, you should feel really good about that for sure.
And lastly, he's going to play.
I mean, we've already seen it.
Christian Kirk, already with a calf strain at practice.
He'll probably be healthy and ready to go for the season, but they've got some older guys like Christian Kirk and Mike Evans in that room, Ricky Pearsall as well.
It is a good receiver room, but there is plenty of opportunity for DeJean Stribling to play this year.
I think based off of all the physical traits that he has as a receiver, the route running, the play-making ability, the size and the speed, plus being put into that San Francisco Kyle Shanahan offense, it's all about timing and the relationship that he can have with his quarterback, Brock Purdy.
And as Brock's saying, it's already off to a very hot start.
So with all that being said, I would expect a major rookie season for DeJean Stribling and for him to be one of the top contributors at the receiver position for the 49ers in twenty-twenty six.
