He's helped at the start of training camp by a calf strain to Christian Kirk. That creates space for Stribling to show what he can do right away.
We gave a small rankings boost to De'Zhaun Stribling today. It's possible Stribling is just flat better than Christian Kirk. Now a little early opening for Stribling to get extra run with starters, and show that. Kirk hurt his calf on Day 1 of camp. For Best Ball subs: Please… https://t.co/z0C4DtCNFC
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) July 27, 2026 MORE: Could Jake Paul really play in the NFL?
The 49ers took Stribling with the No. 33 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after a college career that went from Washington State to Oklahoma State to Ole Miss.
He spent just one season with Ole Miss and had 55 catches for 811 yards and six touchdowns.
His final year at Oklahoma State, Stribling had put up 52 grabs for 882 yards and six TDs.
He played parts of five college seasons overall and had 216 catches in 56 games for 2,964 yards and 23 scores.
Stribling has a great potential mentor new to San Francisco this year in Mike Evans, and Kirk should be able to teach him some things, too.
And it seems like at this point, when Stribling is ready, he'll get a chance to play -- particularly if he makes a good impression in camp while Kirk is on the sideline.
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