SANTA CLARA — It’s Week 1 of the preseason, which means it’s primetime for overreactions.
Let’s see how this one holds up by the end of Week 18.
The best rookie receiver inside Levi’s Stadium Thursday night wasn’t the guy whose name was called fourth by commissioner Roger Goodell in April.
It was the guy who went off the board 29 picks later, after five other receivers.
“I know who was taken ahead of me,” said De’Zhaun Stribling, the 33rd overall pick and the clear standout of the 49ers’ 19-13 loss to the Titans in the preseason opener.
In both players’ NFL debuts, Stribling easily outshined the fourth overall pick, Carnell Tate, who was bottled up for zero catches on three targets in the three drives he played. Stribling also played three drives and hauled in seven catches for a game-high 63 yards.
“My journey is my journey,” he said. “I’m not gonna look at someone else’s journey, because once I do that, I’m not going to be grateful and happy about where I’m at. It’s my journey, so just making the most of my opportunities and what’s good for the team.”
What’s more: Stribling did his work against the Titans’ starting secondary. Tate was denied a touchdown pass by the long arms of fourth-round rookie Ephesians Prysock, who only took over the assignment after fellow second-stringer Jack Jones left with a hand injury.
The 49ers sat most of their starters, and Stribling was just one of many rookies and reserves who largely held their own against Tennessee’s first-teamers on both sides of the ball.
That was the best news to come out of a game that featured almost none of the players who will determine their fate this season. San Francisco’s season will hinge on the health and performance of star veterans like Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Nick Bosa.
But if there’s anything the 49ers have learned in recent years, it’s that health can’t be taken for granted. Depth matters. And judging by Thursday’s preseason opener, this roster has it.
Kyle Shanahan has to be encouraged by the showing from his second and third stringers against another group of NFL starters, albeit one that won three games last year.
When Robert Saleh pulled his starters after three series apiece midway through the second quarter, the score was tied at 7.
A defense that ranked last in sacks a year ago was able to get consistent pressure on Cam Ward and eventually got home three times against backup Will Levis, including a particularly vicious sack from Tatum Bethune, who left a Titans running back on his backside in the process.
One of the biggest disruptors was fourth-round rookie defensive tackle Gracen Halton, who had a 14-yard sack of Ward waved off by a defensive holding penalty downfield. Halton left a bigger impression on the game than either Alfred Collins or fellow rookie Romello Height, who has been a flag magnet in practice and was called for a hands-to-the-face penalty on the first drive.
All in all, it was a solid debut for new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.
Offensively, Shanahan ceded play-calling duties to Klay Kubiak as he did last preseason but otherwise roamed the sideline as normal one month after crashing his Tesla.
Shanahan’s offense largely hummed under third-string quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who completed 12 of 14 passes for 101 yards in the 2025 seventh-round pick’s NFL debut before he departed with a rib injury that forced him to stay overnight in a local hospital.
Still, San Francisco had better hope McCaffrey’s “tightness” is nothing more. The 49ers were missing their top four running backs and struggled for 84 total yards on 25 carries.
But the star of the night was the same as the first two weeks of camp.
Which is good news in a receiver room that is currently without Kittle or Christian Kirk (calf), had been missing Mike Evans (quad) and just lost Ricky Pearsall (knee) for the year.
Brock Purdy needs playmakers. Stribling looks like another one.
Shanahan is famously harsh on rookie receivers, but even Stribling managed to earn a small compliment for his first showing on an NFL field. He dropped his first target and took a loss on a jet sweep, but then showed off the sticky hands that have made him a standout in camp for his first catch, reaching over his head for a 10-yard gain. Later, Stribling was responsible for the play of the game, bringing down a leaping, twisting 32-yard gain over a veteran cornerback.
“He seemed good,” Shanahan said. “Struggled a little bit on that first drive, but he got three drives after that and executed all the stuff that went to him.”