Training camp is only a few days old, but former Ole Miss wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling is already doing the one thing a rookie wide receiver has to do in Kyle Shanahan’s offense: get noticed by the quarterback.
And not just noticed in passing. Noticed in a way that makes the starter stop, think and say something out loud.
That happened Monday when San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Brock Purdy was asked about the rookie. His answer wasn’t vague or polite. It was the kind of endorsement a first‑year player hopes to hear this early.
“Dude is a baller, and I mean that. It’s hard to say that for a rookie, right off the jump, but just seeing him run routes, going up against defenders in OTAs and then in camp yesterday,” Purdy said. “He’s a great route runner. 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. When he’s going up against guys and creating separation, I’m like, ‘Alright, this guy’s a strong receiver.’ And so, I’m excited to see what he does, but all of us, all the quarterbacks in the room, were like, ‘Alright, this guy’s going to be the guy that’s going to come in and play.’”
That is not normal rookie talk from a starting quarterback. That is a quarterback telling you he trusts what he’s seeing. It matches everything coming out of camp so far, too. Stribling has been making plays downfield, turning underneath routes into chunk gains and looking like the player San Francisco drafted him to be.
Stribling didn’t shy away from returning the compliment.
“Very talented guy, very talented guy, great leader,” Stribling said. “Just being out there with him, how he conducts the whole offense, keeps everyone in check, gives everyone their assignment. So, just trying to be there for him as a great receiver, reliable for him, and just doing my part.”
That reliability is exactly what the 49ers need from him. And it’s exactly what some people questioned on draft night.
Stribling was selected higher than most mock drafts projected, and the talking heads wasted no time calling him a reach. He’s heard it. He just doesn’t care.
“It’s just media talk and media opinions,” Stribling said on KNBR. “But at the end of the day, I felt like I played football at a high level. I did a lot of things all around, so I just let my film talk for itself. I don’t get too involved with all of that. At the end of the day, I have to go out there and catch the ball and score touchdowns and block. So, none of that matters until I’m out on the field.”
That’s the right mindset for a rookie trying to carve out a role in an offense that demands precision. And it’s why Purdy’s comments matter. Quarterbacks don’t hand out praise lightly, especially in the first week of camp. When they do, it usually means the player is doing something real.
So far, Stribling is doing exactly what he needs to do: make plays, earn trust and ignore the noise. If the first few days of camp are any indication, he’s already on the right track.
