San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling absolutely looked the part while leading the team with seven catches for 63 yards in a 19-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night, and he's feeling more confident than ever following his impressive preseason debut.

“I felt great out there,” Stribling said via 49ersWebzone.com. “It felt like I was really clicking with the offense, hearing in the huddle, lining up on the field. So I’m very grateful I had the opportunities and the passes that I did.”

Stribling has been impressing all training camp, but the 49ers wanted to give him every opportunity to prove he can be just as productive in stadium. That answer was a resounding yes and has since put the rest of the league on notice.

Many tabbed the 49ers selection of Stribling with the No. 33 overall pick as a massive reach coming out of the 2026 NFL Draft. However, San Francisco believed in his talent and it's starting to pay early dividends.

The 49ers certainly need Stribling to make an early impact after wide receiver Ricky Pearsall’s season-ending knee injury this offseason. He now joins veterans Mike Evans and Demarcus Robinson atop the team's depth chart, but things seem to be trending in that direction.

Stribling played college football at Washington State (2021-22), Oklahoma State (2023-24) and Ole Miss (2025), during which he racked up 216 catches for 2,964 yards and 23 touchdowns.

He also fits the bill of a No. 1 wide receiver, standing at 6-foot-2, 207 pounds. Only time will tell if he will become that, but the 49ers surely like what they've seen thus far.