What To Expect From De’Zhaun Stribling In NFL Debut

Tonight is one of the biggest games of the week. The Los Angeles Rams take on the San Francisco 49ers in Australia. Many fans have had this circled since the schedules came out and others can agree that this game was more anticipated than last night’s Super Bowl rematch. 

One name that many “fantasy experts” have listed as a must draft is 49ers second round draft pick, De’Zhaun Stribling. The rookie from Ole Miss was taken with the 33rd pick in the 2026 draft. The selection brought a ton of condescending comments towards the 49ers’ front office. 

However, after training camp, many critics are selecting Stribling as the steal of fantasy drafts and labeling him as the next Puka Nacua.  

With his debut tonight, let’s go over some expectations for him against the Super Bowl favorite Rams. 

Limited Touches 

For a rookie who wasn’t a top pick, it’s going to be a hard stretch for Stribling as the trust between him and Purdy will likely take some time. 

However, a big game is never out of the picture. With all the talk with him, it sounds like Purdy is willing to get the ball to him multiple times in a game. 

Even if he’s targeted multiple times, his matchup and routes will play a factor in how many touches he’ll have each game. He could only have two receptions on five targets. It’s really going to be himself and how well he performs. 

Tough Defense 

The Rams have the best defense on paper as we enter the new season. They traded/signed great players to buff their defense up and it’s really the scariest defense in the league. Their secondary is great and will prevent all wide receivers from doing their work. 

Of all of this, Stribling may benefit the most from this due to his positioning on sets. I doubt the Rams will guard him with their best or second-best corner. It’ll likely be a guy lower on their depth chart. 

With that, Stribling has a real chance to work and win battles in the field. 

Well Coached Team

The Rams are very stealthy with their work. They’ve definitely heard the talk about Stribling leading up to this matchup. McVay is a great coach and will have his defense ready for anything the 49ers throw at them. 

It’s been a while since their title in 2022, so they’re ready to win another one and it starts now against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia. 

How Will Stribling Do?

Stribling will likely have a quiet game. 

The noise for him is deserved but, with all this noise comes preparation by the opponent. A team like the Rams probably won’t let Stribling get hot and be the reason why they lose this game tonight. 

It’ll be a quiet debut for the rookie from Ole Miss to open up his NFL career with the 49ers.