De'Zhaun Stribling: Unwanted Dynasty Asset, Perfect Scheme Fit
Stribling was a "late riser" in the 2026 NFL Draft, and it caught dynasty managers off guard. He has the perfect skill set for Kyle Shanahan and company.
The NFL Draft and fantasy communities were shell-shocked when the 49ers selected De’Zhaun Stribling with the No. 33 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Stribling was considered a late riser in the process, a strange categorization for someone who checked a ton of boxes. Stribling had an impressive minicamp, with plenty of impressive grabs while working with the rookie group. Still, the fantasy community remained low on him post-draft, with his ADP landing at 2.08 in 12-team rookie drafts. He’s generally an afterthought in a rough rookie class, and there hasn’t been much buzz in the months since.
Until Adam Schefter reported recently that multiple teams felt like Stribling was the best wideout in the draft, and the Rams had their eyes on him. The buzz will continue to mount because Stribling’s skill set is perfect for the best version of the Shanahan offense. Here’s why.
What Stribling Does Well
I’ve long been a fan of Stribling, getting into multiple debates (friendly, mostly) in our Discord throughout draft season, and especially post-draft. Stribling was inside my top-five wideouts. I had him ranked ahead of Denzel Boston. We’ll see how that plays out, but I was so bullish on him because of his unique skill set in a class full of mediocrity. Here’s what I wrote in our guide:
Stribling was the most surprising evaluation of the entire class, as he graded out significantly higher than expected before the NFL Scouting Combine, and emerged as an even more complete prospect. He’s one of the most elite athletes at the position, with a 4.36s 40-yard dash highlighting his biggest strength. He’s a nightmare to cover on deep balls, as he can blow right past coverage. With the Ole Miss offense, he wasn’t utilized as a deep threat, but rather as an elite playmaker with the ball in his hands. 63.5% of his targets were under 10 yards, and he excelled at every level. When asked to run intermediate and deep routes, he averaged 16.22 yards per route run. To put that into perspective, Jordyn Tyson averaged 9.16, and Makai Lemon averaged 14.82. Stribling isn’t just a speed guy, though. He’s fluid in and out of breaks, especially when pushing vertically and breaking off for comebacks. He’s excellent at generating yards after the catch, combining his elite speed with physicality. He’s not elusive with the ball in his hands, but it generally doesn’t matter. He’s not an elite route runner, but he does enough at his size to believe he can be an impact player. He’s strong, consistently fighting off physical corners. He’s arguably the most underrated player in this receiving class, though how he’s deployed at the next level is critical to his career path.
It’s hard to nail down his biggest strength, mostly because he was utilized in completely different ways in college, excelling in both styles and roles. He’s The Flash with the ball in his hands, and he’s physical enough to be a meaningful yards-after-the-catch player (more on this later). He can also push a defense vertically without much issue, putting safeties on high alert and creating space underneath for his teammates. Stribling’s average depths of target during his two years at Oklahoma State were 14.3 and 14.7, respectively. In 2024, his final (and arguably, sole meaningful) year there, he ranked 10th in the nation in that stat. In 2025, Lane Kiffin had different plans for him. The goal of the Ole Miss offense was to get the ball in his hands and allow him to make plays. In both situations, he was an excellent player after the catch. His 400 yards after the catch in 2025 ranked 32nd nationally. Kendrick Law was the only player ahead of him with fewer targets. Essentially, Kiffin wanted to get the ball into his fast guys’ hands and let them make life easier for their quarterback. It worked, and Stribling had an outstanding season, but it made his evaluation slightly more complicated. He’s not an overly elusive player; he’s a big-bodied wideout with a wide catch radius on top of the “small boy” skill set. His routes aren’t always the most crisp, but he has enough throttle and pace to create advantages against corners. When he pushes vertically, he sells the hell out of his routes so it’s easier to break off into comebacks and curls.
When you combine that with his elite athleticism, the ceiling is massive. Stribling ran a fast 40-yard dash, yes, but he was also explosive on his jumps. Where he was a little less consistent was in the agility testing, which we’ve already discussed. Still, a 4.36-second 40 time at 6’2, 207 is nothing to sneeze at, despite most dynasty managers’ propensity to do so.
I failed to mention how excellent a blocker Stribling is in that scouting report, but that’s one area where Shanahan and company are going to be drooling over. With how much the 49ers run the ball, it’s hard to imagine Stribling comes off the field in 12-personnel with his excellent, physical blocking.
The Best Version of the Shanahan Offense
While NFL offenses are regularly evolving - especially Kyle Shanahan’s - there’s typically a “most ideal” version that we as fans get to see for a season or two. The 49ers rarely have trouble on offense. In 2025, they ranked:
8th in Total Yards
11th in Yards Per Play
11th in Points Per Game
4th in Passing Yards
Unfortunately for the rest of the league, that’s not even remotely close to the best version of the 49ers’ offense. In 2023, with everyone relatively healthy, they ranked:
1st in Total Yards
1st in Yards Per Play
2nd in Points Per Game
4th in Passing Yards
