We knew the San Francisco 49ers would draft a wide receiver based on their pre-draft visits. Yet, despite not meeting with John Lynch or Kyle Shanahan, the team traded out of the first round to acquire a couple of more picks to select “their guy.”
Not Omar Cooper Jr. Not KC Concepcion. Not Chris Bell. De’Zhaun Stribling. That’s right, the player who was being mocked in the fourth round for much of the draft cycle ended up being the Niners first selection.
Think about the wide receivers the 49ers fielded
last year. Demarcus Robinson, Jauan Jennings, and Kendrick Bourne — not exactly a group that was the fleetest of foot. The lack of separation hindered the offense in multiple ways. A Kyle Shanahan offense couldn’t stretch the field or win outside of the numbers.
Now think about the 49ers using those players in the formation as run blockers. There is no world where Christian McCaffrey should only average 3.1 yards per carry rushing outside of the tackles. For reference, in 2023, McCaffrey averaged seven yards per carry outside of the tackles. Last season, that number was more than halved. And it wasn’t because of Colton McKivitz or Trent Williams.
Enter a wideout whose father was in the military, who happens to be a shade over 6’2″ with hands creeping up on DeForest Buckner. Oh, and he runs a 4.3 40.
Basic Info
Age: 23
Experience: Rookie
Height: 6’2
Weight: 207 pounds
Cap Status
The 49ers valued extra draft picks over a fifth-year option of Stribling. His protated signing bonus is $1.54 million over each of the next four seasons. Stribling’s cap number will never exceed $4.5 million during his rookie contract.
What will Stribling’s role be as a rookie?
The obvious comparison for Stribling is that he’ll be a 1-for-1 replacement for Jauan Jennings. To me, that’s selling him short. I think it’s more likely Stribling is closer to Deebo Samuel’s production during his tenure with the Niners than Jennings.
Deebo moved around the formation, lined up in the backfield, and saw his route tree evolve. That wasn’t the case with Jennings, who didn’t offer much outside of the numbers.
Deebo hit the ground running as a rookie, albeit in a much different offense. Samuel had 959 yards from scrimmage during his first year with six touchdowns. Samuel accomplished that without needing a ton of volume, which is a good sign if we’re projecting numbers for Stribling.
The rookie will be behind Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey on the receiving totem pole. But his skill set should keep Stribling on the field.
Stribling can run the deep in-breaking routes that the offense couldn’t run last season. He’s also a threat on back-shoulder fades. Ole Miss used Stribling occasionally on jet sweeps. That’s part of the playbook that was crossed off last season.
When you break it down to the different areas the 49ers couldn’t attack last season, it’s pretty easy to see why they went out and drafted a player like Stribling. He gets to learn under Evans, and is also insurance if the top two wideouts get hurt.
Speaking of, Stribling doesn’t have an extensive injury history. His availability is another trait that made him attractive to the 49ers. Stribling broke his left wrist during Oklahoma State’s bye week in 2023. But outside of that, he was durable during his collegiate days. The Niners are hoping that continues as a pro, so they can lean on his height-weight-speed combo in both the running and passing games.
Predict Stribling’s rookie stat line below.
