Perhaps those who wholly laughed at and critiqued the San Francisco 49ers for using their top pick from the 2026 NFL Draft on wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling are a little quieter now after the opening week of the preseason.
Sure, the Niners' lost a quasi-meaningless exhibition tilt against the Tennessee Titans, but the bulk of their rookies and young players performed admirably.
None better than the former Ole Miss receiver.
De'Zhaun Stribling dazzles in 49ers' preseason opener
In nearly every means of evaluation, Stribling was impressive on Thursday night. In terms of the box score, the big-bodied speedster netted 63 yards on seven catches before being given the rest of the night off after halftime.
Stribling also put together a quality highlight reel of catches, too, primarily working against Tennessee's first-string defense for much of the first half.
An impressive preseason debut for @49ers' second-round pick De'Zhaun Stribling:
— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2026
7 catches
63 yards
All in the first half 🙌
TENvsSF on @nflnetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/VxhMoyrhFb
Aside from a hard-to-catch ball thrown his way early, Stribling flashed the ability to pluck balls in contested situations, and that 32-yard gain down the sideline was certainly impressive.
The "reach" crowd has to be a little quieter now, right?
49ers have to feel much better about drafting De'Zhaun Stribling now
Stribling already did aplenty in training camp to justify San Francisco's lofty investment in him. Now, after flashing his potential in front of the greater NFL world against a starting-caliber Titans defense, the rookie certainly should see his stock value rise more.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan, who's frequently harsh on his young receivers, was complimentary during his postgame presser.
"He struggled a little bit on that first drive," Shanahan said of Stribling. "But I think he got three drives after that, and it seemed he executed all the stuff that went to him. I liked how his hands looked out there, and he played physical."
Stribling already has a golden opportunity to make a major impact right away, particularly with veteran receiver Christian Kirk banged up and third-year pro Ricky Pearsall set to miss the year after undergoing PCL surgery.
That'll effectively leave Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel ahead of Stribling on the depth chart, and the 49ers won't mind ensuring the rookie has plenty of additional chances to showcase his talents.
Much to his doubters' chagrin.
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