When the San Francisco 49ers signed veteran Mike Evans over the summer, it was assumed that he would jump in and immediately take over the alpha receiver role that he has grown accustomed to throughout his career.
After a strong drumbeat on De'Zhaun Stribling in training camp combined with the rookie's seven-catch domination in Week 1 of the preseason, though, the wide receiver room is looking a bit more muddled. NFL pundits, social media personalities, and fantasy football talk shows can't stop raving about the youngster's potential, and lately, it has been at Evans' expense.
The latest discussion came from none other than the Fantasy Footballers podcast, where they put the pass-catching situation under a microscope, unveiling some hard truths about Mike Evans' skill set - or lack thereof.
You have Mike Evans, who is an injury-prone older receiver who has never been a high-volume receiver in his career, ever. He's [only] a 70- to -80-catch guy.
Mike Evans' loss could be De'Zhaun Stribling's gain
While 49ers faithful would love to idealize Evans' production in the 90- to 100-catch range, it is much more realistic to assume he will catch no more than 80 balls, especially at the ripe age of 33.
Evans will clearly wind up in the Hall of Fame after his career is over, but it's important to note that he is not the prototypical number-one receiver who dominates target share. In fact, he has shared the field with multiple other prolific wideouts who have produced elite numbers of their own. He's only eclipsed 140 targets twice in his career, which theoretically leaves significant room for another pass catcher to emerge in the San Francisco offense.
Evans' lack of target share could work heavily in Stribling's favor. Throughout the veteran's career, he's made a living off winning contested, one-on-one battles down the sidelines. He could use these strengths to create space for the youngster to run wild in the middle of the field.
Mike Evans doesn't take away from Brock Purdy's ability to elevate De'Zhaun Stribling in year 1
With the 49ers' acquisition of a low-volume (albeit efficient) wideout, De'Zhaun Stribling has a prime opportunity to emerge as a legitimate force in his rookie year. In both years Brock Purdy has played at least 15 games, he has thrown for more than 3,800 yards, and he is projected to blow past that number yet again this season.
When all is said and done, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Purdy supporting two 1,000-yard receivers, as he has done so once before. In 2023, both Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle surpassed the millennium mark. Kittle, now 33 and recovering from a torn Achilles, is clearly past his most productive years, which gives fans all the more reason to believe that Stribling could emerge as one of Purdy's go-to weapons.
Arguably no other rookie wide receiver has as favorable a situation as De'Zhaun Stribling does this season, and it will be interesting to see what he can do with it. Once thought to be a reach in this year's draft, he has already begun to change that narrative. Now, with Evans seeing lower volume than ever and injured pass catchers littering the roster, Stribling's stock will only continue to rise.
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