So far, so good for San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling. We’re reading about Stribling impressing early in training camp, making big plays downfield or creating yards after the catch by turning underneath routes into 20+ yard receptions. Stribling is performing like the player he was drafted to be.
Brock Purdy is noticing the rookie. On Monday, Purdy said, “Dude is a baller, and I mean that. It’s hard to say that for a rookie, right off the jump, but just seeing him run routes, going up against defenders in OTAs and then in camp yesterday. He’s a great route runner. He’s smart. He’s learned the playbook really quick, which is awesome.
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And then, on top of that, you can see his strength, too. When he’s going up against guys and creating separation, I’m like, ‘Alright, this guy’s a strong receiver.’ And so, I’m excited to see what he does, but all of us, all the quarterbacks in the room, were like, ‘Alright, this guy’s going to be the guy that’s going to come in and play.'”
Stribling returned the compliments to Purdy, calling him a “Very talented guy, very talented guy, great leader.” Stribling continued: Just being out there with him, how he conducts the whole offense, keeps everyone in check, gives everyone their assignment. So, just trying to be there for him as a great receiver, reliable for him, and just doing my part.”
During his appearance on KNBR, Stribling was asked about the backlash the 49ers got for selecting him relatively early, compared to where the media had him. Stribling doesn’t concern himself with the media:
It’s just media talk and media opinions. But at the end of the day, I felt like I played football at a high level. I did a lot of things all around, so I just let my film talk for itself. I don’t get too involved with all of that. At the end of the day, I have to go out there and catch the ball and score touchdowns and block. So, none of that matters until I’m out on the field.
I’d expect Stribling to be used early and often, especially if George Kittle isn’t ready to play early in the season. It’s far from a 1-for-1 substitution, but Stribling has the aggressiveness and body type to block bigger bodies closer to the line of scrimmage — something the 49ers wideouts struggled with a season ago.
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And then you have the 10″ hands that’ll make the margin for error greater for the 49ers quarterbacks, both from an accuracy perspective as well as when it comes to contested catch situations. Last season, Jauan Jennings only caught 46% of his contested catches. Stribling will look to improve on that number while playing a similar role.
