The NFL preseason officially got underway on Thursday with a contingent of games. And as always, there were a number of rookies who stepped up in their preseason debuts – one of those was 49ers wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling.
Stribling looked more like a seasoned NFL veteran than a player seeing his first snaps in the league, as he was targeted eight times and hauled in seven receptions for 63 yards. He turned heads immediately with his first NFL reception, hauling in a pass mid-air while a defender draped himself over the rookie wideout to make the tackle. Then, later in the first half, he hauled in a deep 30-plus-yard over-the-shoulder pass with a defender hot on his tail to move the chains on third down.
De'Zhaun Stribling's night is over:
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) August 14, 2026
• 8 targets
• 7 catches
• 62 yards
One heck of an NFL debut pic.twitter.com/avgUFS46Uu
The 49ers might consider limiting the reps that Stribling sees this preseason, because it was clear from the first moment he hit the field that he doesn't need to risk injury on meaningless preseason snaps – he's already prepared to step into the lineup and make an impact in the regular season for the franchise.
With Jauan Jennings gone and Ricky Pearsall out for the season after knee surgery, there are some questions in the wide receiver room this year for the 49ers. And with incoming wideout acquisitions Mike Evans and Christian Kirk having a history of injury issues in recent seasons, Stribling could end up being featured prominently this season as a rookie. And he proved on Thursday he's more than ready for that opportunity.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Rookie De'Zhaun Stribling makes huge statement in NFL preseason debut