When the San Francisco 49ers drafted wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling in Round 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft, many assumed he was going to be a clone of Jauan Jennings. Stribling is known primarily for being a run blocker and a guy who can contest tight balls, which are the exact same things that Jennings thrived at with the Niners.
The fact the 49ers assigned Stribling the No. 15 jersey number, the same number that Jennings wore during his time with San Francisco, only led to more comparisons between the two players.
Yet, based on some early results in OTAs, Stribling could be different in one key respect. He has already caught some deep balls from quarterback Brock Purdy, which is really encouraging to see even if it’s just some early practices without pads on.
Jennings was never a deep threat. He was more a guy who could catch a ball in traffic on third down for a first down rather than a burner who could streak down the field and beat a cornerback.
Maybe Stribling could do both of those things.
That would be a very welcome development because, even though San Francisco signed Mike Evans in the offseason, there’s a chance he could be gone after just one year, so Stribling may be a guy they count on going forward.
If Stribling can prove he’s a legitimate deep threat, that could also cut into veteran Christian Kirk’s playing time. The Niners signed Kirk hoping he could be that established deep threat they were missing in 2025, and he definitely could be a key player in 2026.
But with Evans and Pearsall likely to be the top two receivers on the depth chart, Stribling and Kirk could end up battling one another for playing time.
Competition can bring out the best in everyone, so maybe Stribling putting pressure on Kirk could be a good thing. It would be a nice change of pace if the Niners had too many good receivers in 2026 when they struggled with injuries and had to dig deep on the depth chart last season.
Not many thought Stribling would be a deep threat when he was drafted, but if he can develop into one, and the early indications suggest he can, then that could completely transform San Francisco's offense going forward.
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