The San Francisco 49ers saw rookie wide receiver and 2026 2nd-round pick De’Zhaun Stribling ascend to the top of the depth chart over training camp and the preseason only to watch him go down with an ankle injury in a season-opening win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Now, nobody is going to see Stribling do anything on a football field for quite some time.
“49ers rookie WR De’Zhaun Stribling is being placed on injured reserve due to his ankle injury, sidelining him at least four games, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Wednesday.
In a corresponding move, the 49ers promoted KhaDarel Hodge to the active roster.
“BREAKING NEWS: The 49ers are placing rookie WR De’Zhaun Stribling on IR,” 49ers News 24/7 wrote on its official X account. “He will miss at least the next 4 games for San Francisco. A big blow for the pre-season star. The Niners hope to have him back at some point this year.”
The 49ers have come under some fire for exactly how Stribling got hurt.
“The 49ers’ training staff cleared De‘Zhaun Stribling to return to the field even though he had a deltoid sprain in his ankle,” 49ers reporter Grant Cohn wrote on his official X account on September 13. “So he returned and made it worse. The 49ers need a new training staff.”
De’Zhaun Stribling Impressed 49ers From Jump
Stribling, the No. 33 overall pick in the 2nd round, led the 49ers with 7 receptions for 63 yards in a 19-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans in the preseason opener. He did so on just 8 targets, and had all 7 receptions in the 1st half.
CBS Sports NFL reporters John Breech and Zachary Pereles singled Stribling out as 1 of the NFL’s “Biggest Winners” following the 1st round of preseason games.
From CBS Sports: “Kyle Shanahan made the decision to bench most of his starters against the Titans on Thursday, which makes sense, because training camp has been a battle of attrition for the 49ers. Everyone is injured. However, Stribling is healthy and he might have been the best offensive player on the field for the 49ers. He caught seven passes for 63 yards against the Titans and he did all of that in just one half of play. If you have a fantasy draft coming up, you might want to think about taking Stribling. With Ricky Pearsall out for the season, Stribling could definitely make a name for himself in San Francisco as a rookie.”
NFL Draft Expert Tabbed Stribling for 2nd Round
Stribling was correctly projected as a 2nd-round pick by NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein in his pre-draft evaluation — just not the very 1st pick of the 2nd round.
Part of the hesitancy to draft Stribling so high was that he never had a true breakout season in 3 college stops at Washington State, Oklahoma State, and Ole Miss.
After he checked in at 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine, then ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash … a lot of those concerns went out the window.
“The Niners didn’t just need a receiver, they needed to add some juice to that room after finishing last season without a single offensive player breaking the 20 mph mark with the ball in his hands, according to NFL Next Gen Stats,” ESPN’s Nick Wagoner wrote on April 25. “Stribling should help in that regard after running a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the combine. That speed should help him get on the field right away even if he’s not a day one starter.”
49ers Get Terrible Injury News on Standout Rookie WR