The San Francisco 49ers pulled off one of the NFL Draft’s biggest surprises when they selected Mississippi WR De’Zhaun Stribling with the 33rd pick. San Francisco needed help at receiver, but few expected Stribling to come off the board that early on Day 2.
While several questions were raised over the value of that pick, on Thursday night, the 49ers’ rookie wide receiver wasted little time settling the debate.
De’Zhaun Stribling’s Stats and Highlights From His Preseason Debut
Stribling took over Levi’s Stadium during the 2026 preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans, hauling in seven of eight targets for 63 yards in just under two quarters, quickly becoming Kurtis Rourke’s go-to option.
Stribling consistently won his matchups against Tennessee’s defensive backs before the coaching staff pulled him from the game.
By halftime, Stribling had seven catches for 63 yards on eight targets, doing everything but finding the end zone.
On the first offensive snap, Stribling caught a quick screen from Rourke and immediately got involved.
Later, with 3:40 left in the first quarter, he secured an 11-yard catch on third down. Stribling spun away from a defender and kept both feet down near the right boundary. Tennessee challenged the ruling, but officials upheld the first down.
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After that, Stribling continued to create problems for Tennessee in the second quarter.
With 12:55 remaining, he grabbed a 10-yard contested pass across the middle while cornerback Cor’Dale Flott stayed tight behind him. Then, with 10:20 left, Stribling raced down the right sideline for a 32-yard back-shoulder catch on third down. He climbed over Flott to make the catch at its highest point before spinning away from contact.
Those plays helped turn Stribling’s preseason debut into a memorable night.
Before the preseason opener, analysts and fans weren’t quite sold on him. His college production also raised questions, considering he never topped 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Stribling posted a 78.0 score in PFN’s CFB WR Impact Metric in 2025, which ranked 88th nationally.
Combine all those factors, and Stribling entered his first preseason game with plenty to prove. However, the wide receiver delivered when the lights came on, and head coach Kyle Shanahan liked what he saw from the young pass catcher.
“It seemed good,” he said. “We’ll see when we watch the film. I thought he struggled a little bit on that first drive, but I think he got three drives after that and seemed like he executed all the stuff that went to him. I liked how his hands looked out there, and he played physical.”
Now Stribling’s performance has strengthened his case for a significant role once the regular season rolls around.
Ricky Pearsall will miss the year after knee surgery, while veterans Mike Evans and Christian Kirk have dealt with minor training camp injuries. All things considered, Stribling could have a regular role alongside Deebo Samuel in Shanahan’s offense.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.