As if the drumbeat around San Francisco 49ers rookie De'Zhaun Stribling wasn't loud enough, the wideout continued his breakout preseason with a dominant performance against the Chargers Thursday night.
Stribling caught four passes for 46 yards in the first half of the 49ers' preseason win. It wasn't on par with his stat line from Week 1, but it was arguably more impressive - and more telling of things to come.
A significant number of San Francisco's starters played Thursday night, including Brock Purdy. The franchise quarterback threw just six passes, completing four of them. Three of those completions went to his shiny new weapon.
After targeting the trusted Deebo Samuel on his first two attempts, Purdy dialed in on Stribling, throwing his next three passes in the rookie's direction. Stribling hauled in all three attempts, logging an 11-yard and two seven-yard gains.
De'Zhaun Stribling answered 49ers' burning question against Chargers
To this point, fans had yet to see Stribling's chemistry with his starting quarterback in a real game. Practice reps are better than nothing, but it's difficult to tell who Purdy will look for in crunch time. Thursday may have just answered that question in an emphatic way.
The fact that the gunslinger targeted Stribling on 50.0 percent of his throws goes a long way in determining whether or not the Stribling hype is anything more than smoke. Fellow wideout Mike Evans and tight end George Kittle were ruled out of the contest, so Deebo Samuel represented the only significant threat to siphon targets away from the Ole Miss product. However, Stribling's 100.0 catch rate should help build a level of trust between him and his quarterback.
The tandem has one more preseason game to continue building their on-field relationship. Kittle doesn't need the preseason time, as he already boasts a lengthy rapport with Purdy, but Mike Evans has yet to share the field in a real game with the franchise cornerstone. His connection will be something to monitor when he returns to action, especially with Stribling's rapid development.
After gaining in-game experience with much of the starting unit, De'Zhaun Stribling may have answered any lingering questions the organization may have had. It's clear that Brock Purdy trusts him, and their relationship should only grow over time. When all is said and done, Stribling could prove to be even more valuable than his second-round status may have originally implied. If he maintains his current level of reliability, the sky could be the limit.
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