49ers rookie WR De'Zhaun Stribling plays with Brock Purdy, continues impressive preseason

Last week, the San Francisco 49ers didn’t play starters. That allowed rookie receiver De'Zhaun Stribling to be the focal point of the offense, and he had a surprising seven catches in less than 20 minutes of game action.

The 49ers did use starters in their second preseason game. And Brock Purdy had eyes for Stribling too.

Stribling caught three passes on the 49ers’ first nine offensive plays against the Los Angeles Chargers. He had a couple of receptions in which he caught the ball away from his body, showing off his strong hands. He did the same thing in San Francisco’s first preseason game, and showed an ability to win on contested catches. The 49ers’ starters departed after one series but Stribling stayed in, and he had a 21-yard reception on Mac Jones’ first throw. It wasn’t all perfect as Stribling dropped a deep pass later in the drive that could have been a touchdown, but at least he had plenty of separation on the play.

Things change when the regular season starts, but based on early returns it appears the 49ers might have hit big on their second-round pick.

The 49ers took Stribling with the first pick of the second round in this year’s draft and were mocked for it by many. Stribling wasn’t ranked by plenty of experts ahead of receivers who went behind him like Denzel Boston, and that brought about a discussion of whether teams should follow the “consensus board” of draft experts. The 49ers scoffed at that.

It has been just two abbreviated performances in the preseason, but so far it looks like the 49ers were right.

Stribling wasn’t hugely productive in college between Washington State, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss, never reaching more than 882 yards in a season, but he tested very well at the NFL scouting combine. At 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds, he ran a blazing 4.36-second 40-yard dash. The 49ers were obviously impressed.

The 49ers can use the help in the passing game with Ricky Pearsall already done for the season due to knee injury and George Kittle returning from a torn Achilles. If the early preseason returns mean anything, Stribling might be a big part of the offense right away.