Why De’Zhaun Stribling Could Lead the 49ers in Receiving

Don't be surprised.

August 13, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver De'zhaun Stribling (15) is tackled by Tennessee Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor (24) during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s low-hanging fruit to say that Mike Evans will be the leading receiver on the 49ers this season. He was the highly coveted free-agent addition, after all.

The 49ers didn’t sign him to be a decoy and get cardio. Evans will be featured a healthy amount in the offense this year. However, I wouldn’t be so sure that he will lead the team statistically.

Yes, Evans is the most talented wide receiver on the team. But he’s 33 years old, and given that he missed the bulk of training camp, he’ll likely miss a handful of games. I doubt he’ll be reliable.

Should that happen, and I believe it will, the pathway for rookie De’Zhaun Stribling will open up for him to be the leading receiver for the 49ers this season. If the preseason indicated anything, it’s that Kyle Shanahan loves Stribling.

He’s like a brand new car that Shanahan cannot wait to drive. Or brand-new shoes that you can’t wait to show off to make you feel fly. Stribling will be used more than I think anyone could’ve projected, including me.

And if Evans misses some time, it’ll emphasize that further. Plus, I bet Shanahan wants to stick it to people who were extremely critical (me) of the 49ers drafting Stribling at No. 33 overall.

That means the usage Stribling saw in the preseason will translate into the regular season. And since he was drafted to help them create more big plays, it lines up for him to rack up the stats. 

What better way to make all of the critics look foolish than to make Stribling not only a key figure in the offense, but also leading them in receiving. Whether it’s yards, catches, and/or touchdowns.

Leading in one category will be more than enough to justify Stribling as the pick. I’ll happily eat crow and commend the 49ers for it. Maybe they’ll finally turn the corner on drafting skill players on Day 2 of the draft. 

Still, a couple of factors will need to align to set up Stribling for that. Obviously, Evans’ availability will be one. The other is whether the 49ers look to Deebo Samuel as their lead receiver.

It’s no secret that Shanahan is fond of Samuel. That can easily be what happens if Evans is missing, but I think that will depend on how Stribling looks. If he’s promising, he has to feed Stribling.

The 49ers have to see what they have in him and whether he rises to the occasion. He’ll end up filling Evans’ role if Evans is inactive, and that’ll set up a curious offseason choice to cut Evans. 

In any case, I never imagined Stribling could have a decent chance at being the 49ers’ leading receiver. Now, it won’t be surprising.