Brock Purdy praises 49ers rookie's 'raw talent'
Brock Purdy praises 49ers rookie's 'raw talent'
Oliver G., Niners WireFri, May 22, 2026 at 12:45 AM UTC
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Brock Purdy praises 49ers rookie's 'raw talent'
Brock Purdy already likes what he's seen from rookie receiver De'Zhaun Stribling.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback offered an early endorsement of the team's top pick from the 2026 NFL draft, telling NBC Sports Bay Area's Laura Britt that the rookie wide receiver has the tools to make an immediate impact.
"Stribling's a guy that has a lot of raw talent," Purdy said. "Just throwing routes on air to him and getting a feel for how he moves and his speed, he's a guy that, obviously once we get him in the playbook a lot and get reps with each other on the field, I feel like he's going to be a guy that can come in and make an instant impact. So Kyle [Shanahan] and [wide receivers coach Leonard Hankerson] have done a really good job developing receivers and stuff, so to have him in the fold with the great receiving core we have right now, it's amazing as a quarterback. I'm like, 'Let's go.'"
The 49ers selected Stribling with the first pick of the second round, No. 33 overall, after trading down twice from their original No. 27 spot. The selection came considerably higher than where Stribling had been projected before the draft.
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The pick reflected more than just on-field evaluation. The 49ers made Stribling one of 16 prospects who received a "gold-helmet" designation, which reflects qualities such as leadership, unselfishness, toughness and work ethic.
The tape itself was hard to ignore. The 6-foot-2, 207-pound receiver finished his college career with 216 catches, 2,964 yards and 23 touchdowns across stops at Washington State, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss. In his lone season with the Rebels, he totaled 55 catches for 811 yards, with 420 of those yards and four touchdowns coming over the final five games.
Stribling has an opportunity to slide right into a good role in the 49ers offense alongside Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall and Christian Kirk after Kendrick Bourne and Jauan Jennings left in free agency. If he can get on the same page with Purdy early, the 49ers could be looking at a cornerstone piece of their offense for years to come.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Brock Purdy praises 49ers rookie De'Zhaun Stribling's 'raw talent'
Source: “AOL Sports”
