The heated discourse surrounding the San Francisco 49ers’ draft class does not seem like it will end anytime soon. Wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling was a controversial pick in the second round since many felt the Niners reached on him, but one analyst compared him to a very solid wide receiver.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler likened Stribling to a receiver who has been good with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. No, not Mike Evans. Instead, Fowler views Chris Godwin as a good comp for Stribling. Their measurables are quite similar coming out of college, while Stribling is a bit taller.
Of course, just because a guy weighs roughly the same and had a similar 40-time does not mean he is going to end up eclipsing 1,000 receiving yards four times in his career like Godwin has.
Still, it shows how the narrative is shifting around Stribling.
When he was first selected by San Francisco, many thought it was a bad pick because he probably would have been there later if the 49ers had wanted him. They got some pretty bad grades for the pick.
Yet, now we are hearing many defending the Stribling selection by saying he was superior to Makai Lemon and Omar Cooper Jr., two receivers who went ahead of Stribling in the draft.
It’s a pretty natural cycle. "Pick is bad," turns into "pick is actually not that bad," turns back into "pick is bad." That’s offseason narratives for you; the wind changes right when it gets stale, so expect the back-and-forth to continue on Stribling for a while.
The problem is we probably won’t know for quite a while how good Stribling will be. It wouldn’t be surprising if he did not get a lot of playing time in his rookie season. With Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall, and veterans Christian Kirk and Demarcus Robinson ahead of him on the depth chart, the rookie would probably have to impress head coach Kyle Shanahan to earn a lot of playing time.
Shanahan is notorious for demanding a lot from his receivers and making them earn their playing time, but Stribling is known for being a run-blocker. So if he’s willing to do the dirty work and can fill some of the void left by Jauan Jennings, then he may get more opportunities.
Injuries could also force him into playing time, and given the recent injury struggles of Evans and how Pearsall seems to be perpetually banged up, there’s also a chance Stribling plays because of that.
If he does end up like Godwin, that would be amazing, but the Niners will probably have to wait a bit until they fully know the caliber of player they have on their hands.
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