Rookie wide receivers haven’t exactly prospered with the San Francisco 49ers under head coach Kyle Shanahan. They can’t seem to escape the proverbial doghouse.
Brandon Aiyuk (60) and Deebo Samuel (57) were the only players to surpass 35 receptions. Unsurprisingly, that pair was also the only duo to have at least 500 yards receiving during their rookie seasons.
Ricky Pearsall’s rookie year has a giant asterisk. He came on strong in the second half with 31 receptions for 400 yards. Six seasons before
that, Dante Pettis caught 27 passes for 467 yards. Close, but no cigar.
Jauan Jennings didn’t play in 2020, so he was still technically a rookie in 2021. Jennings caught 24 passes for 282 yards. Jennings is actually tied for second all-time in franchise history with five receiving touchdowns (Jennings and Aiyuk also had 5) during his rookie campaign.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano went through each team, saying, “Don’t be surprised if.” For the 49ers, it was about De’Zhaun Stribling:
Don’t be surprised if … De’Zhaun Stribling leads all rookie wide receivers in catches.
What I’m hearing: Yes, free agent signee Mike Evans is likely to be the team’s top wide receiver (but he’s already dealing with injuries in training camp). Yes, veterans Demarcus Robinson and Deebo Samuel Sr. have put in more time with this coaching staff and in this system. And yes, Kyle Shanahan’s history tells us he’s reluctant to put too much faith in rookie receivers. But all of that said, someone needs to catch the ball in San Francisco, and Stribling has been doing a lot of that in camp and the preseason.
The first pick of the second round of this year’s draft, Stribling has a chance to make an impact as a rookie. Left tackle Trent Williams told me he expects big things from Stribling right away — that he reminds him of former 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings in terms of the variety of routes he can run but with more speed. Brock Purdy could look Stribling’s way early and often, and he could be a high-volume pass catcher.
The 49ers didn’t draft Stribling to ease him into the lineup. He’s going to play early and often. He brings a different element than Robinson and Deebo — who are role players, at best, at this point in their careers. Stribling looked like a budding star in the preseason.
He should have plenty of opportunities to rack up numbers as a rookie. He may not have the seasons Aiyuk and Deebo did, since so many other options are on the roster. But at the same time, his floor could be what a couple of rookies did back in the ‘90s—looking at a J.J. Stokes/Terrell Owens rookie year. Those two had just over 500 receiving yards and 35 and 38 receptions, respectively.
Since 2021, 11 receivers have surpassed 1,000 yards. Another five have had 900-yard seasons as rookies. My prediction is somewhere along the lines of what George Pickens did with the Steelers in 2022: 52 receptions for 801 yards and four touchdowns.
To ESPN’s point, that might be enough to lead all receivers.
