The San Francisco 49ers love to trust their draft process and pick who they believe is the best pick. It may go against consensus, and it can backfire, but it looks like their surprise selection of WR De’Zhaun Stribling is a steal.
Stribling has lit up opposing defenses in the preseason, building off a great opener with another strong game.
NFL World Reacts to De’Zhaun Stribling’s Hot Start
Stribling may not have been one of the highest receivers projected in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he looks like he belongs at the top of his class, justifying the 49ers’ decision.
After dominating in Week 1 of preseason, he picked up where he left off with three catches on the first drive in the second preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“The Brock Purdy to De’Zhaun Stribling connection is unstoppable. 3 catches for Strib on the 49ers opening drive,” said one Coach Yac, who covers the 49ers.
The Brock Purdy to De’Zhaun Stribling connection is unstoppable
3 catches for Strib on the 49ers opening drive pic.twitter.com/2fFDUlFn2t
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) August 21, 2026
Stribling didn’t just make easy catches on the drive, but tough catches where he had to hold on through contact.
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“De’Zhaun Stribling making grown man catches,” added one 49ers content creator.
De’Zhaun Stribling making grown man catches 🔥 pic.twitter.com/T3sJI5VmBw
— Alex Tran (@nineralex) August 21, 2026
The Purdy and Stribling connection looks legit. Stribling has played his way into earning real reps for the 49ers and should get significant playing time come Week 1.
In a wide receiver room with veterans Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel Sr., Stribling is the one to watch at the moment. The 49ers fans are not tempering their expectations with Stribling, and the NFL world is already showering Stribling with praise.
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“Dezhaun Stribling is the best WR in this class holy [expletive],” said a user named “Garrett on X.
NFL insider John Frascella is all aboard the Stribling hype train.
“You cannot EVER stop the De’Zhaun Stribling Hype Train. This thing is CHUGGIN,” said Frascella.
You cannot EVER stop the De’Zhaun Stribling Hype Train.
This thing is CHUGGIN pic.twitter.com/LetGIlSlCG
— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) August 21, 2026
The 49ers may have gotten Samuel back and added Evans, but they lost one of their key receivers in Jauan Jennings in free agency. But NFL analyst JP Acosta thinks Stribling might just be a better version of Jennings.
“De’Zhaun Stribling, being the bass-boosted version of Jauan Jennings, is gonna be fun for SF. Gives them needed size + strength on outside,” said Acosta.
De’Zhaun Stribling being the bass boosted version of Jauan Jennings is gonna be fun for SF. Gives them needed size + strength on outside
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) August 21, 2026
“I watched Stribling play 1 drive and want to move him up about 20 spots in my rankings. Guy looks like a pure vet out there,” said one fantasy football content creator.
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PFN’s Matt Infante chipped in with his thoughts on where Stribling’s fantasy value is trending after his impressive preseason showings.
“Stribling’s best ball ADP is 🚀 [skyrocketing],” Infante wrote on X. “Coming into today, he had gone from 172 (mid 15th round) 4 weeks ago to 143 (late 12th) 2 weeks ago to 121 (early 11th) coming into today. Dude is going to be a top 100 pick pretty soon. Hope you got those shares early.”
Stribling’s best ball ADP is 🚀
Coming into today, he had gone from 172 (mid 15th round) 4 weeks ago to 143 (late 12th) 2 weeks ago to 121 (early 11th) coming into today.
Dude is going to be a top 100 pick pretty soon. Hope you got those shares early. https://t.co/IjQra7kbrD
— Matt Infante (@MattInfante) August 21, 2026
The 49ers got a good one. They shocked the world when they picked Stribling, who ranked 88th on PFN’s CFB WR Impact Rankings last year, and now he is proving San Francisco right.
Although Stribling dropped a would-be touchdown late in the first quarter, he’s left a positive imprint on this game and given San Francisco plenty of hope that their rookie receiver will be a massive contributor this season, with WR Ricky Pearsall set to miss all of 2026.
