San Francisco 49ers rookie wideout De'Zhaun Stribling has yet to play a snap in the league, and his career is already off to a questionable start. Much of the controversy has been to no fault of his own, as the Niners were under heavy scrutiny for selecting him at the top of the second round.
Now, the pick could prove even more worrisome after the latest comments from wide receiver coach Leonard Hankerson:
"Obviously [Stribling] is a big body. You could put him at the Z. You know, the blocking. You could put him at the X, because he has the speed. You could put him inside, same as Jauan Jennings last year."
While Niners fans are sure to be satisfied with his versatility, it's the comparison the coach made after the fact that could raise even more questions than before about the Ole Miss product.
Jauan Jennings is far from the player comp 49ers fans wanted to hear
Now a Minnesota Viking after signing as a free agent, Jennings' tenure in the Bay Area was up and down, to say the least. He struggled to work his way on the field in his early days, vying for touches with the likes of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle.
Jennings didn't truly see an extended look as a featured option until 2024, when Aiyuk was limited to just seven games and Samuel severely underwhelmed amid ego and team chemistry issues. With the opportunity, Jennings had three games of at least seven catches and 90 yards, including an 11-catch, 175-yard masterpiece against the Los Angeles Rams, where he found the end zone three times.
With the departure of Deebo and the injury to Aiyuk, Jennings entered 2025 with lofty expectations but failed to cash in. He finished with just 643 yards in 15 contests, including a disappointing 11.7 yards-per-catch average.
The underwhelming finale to his time in San Francisco was enough for the staff to decide to move on, as evidenced by their pickup of Stribling back in April, but it appears the rookie's name is being linked to exactly what the Niners were trying to get away from.
Niners can't ignore huge gap between the 2 players
The two receivers are both eerily similar in the size department, both clearing 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds.
However, it's Stribling's speed that, thankfully, sets him apart from the veteran.
In terms of NFL wideouts, Jennings is a plodder. His 40 time of 4.72 back in 2020 is considered well below average in today's game. By contrast, the Niners' new pass catcher is a burner. His 4.36 40 at the combine this year was eighth out of the 34 receivers who ran.
With all this in mind, fans can only hope Hankerson and the rest of the coaching staff don't foresee Stribling's role being too similar to Jennings'. Though it's true both have the ability to use their big bodies to win inside, the rookie's true value could come on the other side of newly acquired veteran Mike Evans, where the two could work in tandem to terrorize secondaries.
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