Rap: 49ers are ‘pretty excited’ about WR Stribling

The 49ers rested their starters but let their second-round rookie play. Stribling lined up in the slot and out wide. He looked good winning contested targets and picking up yards after the catch, and showed no ill effects from the hamstring injury he dealt with earlier this month, which was nice to see. Rookie season FLEX treatment could be in play for him.

It’s an unofficial depth chart and should be taken with some skepticism. Mike Evans and Demarcus Robinson are listed as starting wideouts alongside Samuel, who signed with the Niners last week after spending 2025 in Washington. Familiar with Kyle Shanahan’s offense after playing in San Francisco for the first six years of his NFL career, Samuel could see a surprising amount of playing time with Christian Kirk banged up and Ricky Pearsall out for the season with a knee injury. De’Zaun Stribling is listed as a WR2 on the unofficial depth chart for now. His performance in training camp and Niners coaches’ comments about the rookie suggest he’ll get plenty of run alongside Evans and Samuel in 2026.

It sounds like Stribling will practice in some capacity today. The second-round rookie has been sidelined since Saturday, so logging a limited session is likely. The 49ers have been hit hard by injuries, particularly in the wide receiver room. The depth chart has not yet been established, but Stribling has a very real chance to carve out a starting role before the season begins.

The injuries continue to mount for the 49ers early in camp. Evans is reportedly dealing with a quad strain that we will hopefully learn more about later, and rookie De’Zhaun Stribling (hamstring) and Kaelon Black (adductor) are also missing Monday’s practice due to injuries. The recent string of injuries now makes for four receivers the Niners have seen go down in camp, with Christian Kirk (calf) and Ricky Pearsall (knee) both being injured last week. We will check back in when we receive updates on the status of these players.

The rookie wide receiver is reportedly dealing with “hamstring tightness” and the team stressed the fact that it was not a strain, likely indicating he will be back on the practice field in short order. That said, the team could look to take it slow with their No. 33 overall pick after losing fellow receiver Ricky Pearsall to knee surgery earlier in the day. For now, fantasy managers can simply monitor the situation in the coming days.

The swelling is believed to be related to the PCL injury he dealt with last year. That he is still dealing with a lingering issue from 2025 after missing much of his rookie season for other reasons is more than a little concerning for fantasy managers. Christian Kirk is also being held out of practice right now, meaning rookie De’Zhaun Stribling seemingly has the inside track for No. 2 duties right now. With no timeline for his return, Pearsall should tumble down draft boards in the coming days. Stribling, on the other hand, is firmly in the FLEX mix, even in redraft leagues.

We know, stop the presses that a quarterback likes one of his receivers. The extent of Purdy’s praise is nevertheless notable, especially with veteran Christian Kirk already shelved by a calf injury. “Dude is a baller, and I mean that,” Purdy began. “It’s hard to say that for a rookie, right off the jump, but just seeing him run routes. ... He’s smart. He’s learned the playbook really quick, which is awesome. And then, on top of that, you can see his strength, too.” Purdy went on for several more sentences. It’s still laughably early in the training camp process — the pads have yet to really come on — but Stribling was a controversial selection where immediate praise could not be taken for granted. The next step will be impressing coach Kyle Shanahan once the boss returns from injuries sustained in a car accident. There are snaps and targets for the taking in a receiver corps being remade on the fly this season.

Barrow said Stribling, taken with the 33rd pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, is "[Jajuan] Jennings-like” in his willingness to block for ball carriers down the field. Shanahan has said the team’s explosive rush rate dropped in 2025 because they lacked solid wideout blocking with Jennings — now with the Vikings — missing much of the season. “Stribling doesn’t have Jennings’ size or length, and he must build the kind of receiver-quarterback chemistry Jennings had with Brock Purdy in recent years,” Barrow said. “Still, Stribling is faster and offers big-play ability the 49ers were missing last season.” The rookie is not expected to get heavy playing time to begin the 2026 season, and it appears the Niners drafted him for his intangibles and willingness to block for Christian McCaffrey. Stribling, 23, had a 38th percentile college target share at Ole Miss.

Stribling gets a $13.5 million deal with a $6.3 million signing bonus, which comes with a $2.5 million salary cap hit in 2026. The 49ers brought him board with the No. 33 overall pick, which generated mixed responses. Stribling will compete for a starting role in three-wide receiver sets right away, but likely begins training camp as the penciled-in No. 4 wide receiver behind Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall and Christian Kirk.

Niners officials said Stribling, surprisingly taken with the 33rd pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, was a “gold helmet” rookie prospect due to his intangibles. “Our coach loved him right away. Leadership. Goal-oriented,” Ahmad said of Stribling, 23, who had a 38th percentile college target share at Ole Miss. “The passion the guy has, the work ethic, the toughness, the durability. He checks all those boxes at a high level.” Entering the league, Stribling’s production leaves a lot to be desired. He had just 811 yards and six touchdowns in his final collegiate season and was projected as a third our fourth rounder before the Niners selected him with the first pick of the second round. ESPN reported last week that Stribling would probably not function as a starting wideout to begin the 2026 regular season, leaving Ricky Pearsall as a locked-in starter alongside Mike Evans.