De'Zhaun Stribling wasn't supposed to be a household name yet. The 49ers took him with the No. 33 pick out of Oklahoma State back in April, a selection that drew some raised eyebrows given how many teams passed on him twice. One preseason game later, nobody's asking why San Francisco liked him anymore.
De’Zhaun Stribling 🔥 https://t.co/p10IT5xTUm
The line itself is what got people talking: 7 catches, 62 yards, in a single half of preseason football. Hayden Winks put it in context by pointing out how rare that kind of half is even for established names, noting only a handful of veterans have ever hit 7-for-62 in a single career game, guys like Xavier Worthy and Marvin Harrison Jr.
De'Zhaun Stribling at 7 catches for 62 yards in his first NFL preseason half. How many games these veterans have reachd 7-for-62 in their careers: X. Worthy (2), Q. Johnston (2), J. Reed (1), M. Harrison (1), A. Pierce (1), etc.
By the time the box score settled, Stribling had piled up 8 targets for 7 receptions and 63 yards on the night, all of it against Tennessee's starting defense before San Francisco's backups even took the field. That's the kind of workload and production teams dream about getting from a Day 2 rookie in his first live NFL action.
The praise didn't stop with fantasy analysts. Trent Williams, the 49ers' longtime All-Pro tackle, went out of his way to talk up the rookie, saying he doesn't understand how Stribling fell out of the first round given his size, physicality and football IQ. Williams even noted the Niners' booth has already started calling him "The Strib Club."
Trent Williams on De'Zhaun Stribling: "I love Strib. What a heck of a pick. Idk how he missed the first round. A guy that big, that can run that hard, as tough as he is, as willing as he is as a blocker, as smart as he is. I don't understand how we'd miss out on that." He makes this play right on queue. Niners booth is calling this "The Strib Club".
It's not just teammates and reporters riding the wave, either. Ian Rapoport reported the 49ers are "pretty excited" about what they've seen, specifically pointing to Stribling's ability to catch basically everything thrown his way. That's a notable vote of confidence from the front office through the media, not just glowing quotes in a locker room.
All of it added up to Bleacher Report naming Stribling one of its Week 1 preseason winners, alongside names like Drew Allar and Jeremiyah Love. For a receiver room that lost Ricky Pearsall for the season and needed a spark, a second-round rookie turning heads in his very first outing is exactly the kind of story that can shift a depth chart before the real games even start.