SANTA CLARA — De’Zhaun Stribling is coming into an ideal situation for a rookie wide receiver.The door is open for the No. 33 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to earn significant playing time in his first NFL season. And he also is joining a 49ers team that has one of the league’s top role models at his position.
Wide receiver Mike Evans, a six-time Pro Bowl performer, signed as a free agent this offseason with the 49ers after spending his first 12 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Evans’ streak of 1,000-yard seasons came to an end last year, as he appeared in only eight games due to injuries.
Of course, Stribling expects to learn a lot from Evans. But he also hopes he can do his part to raise the level of play around him.
“Just learning points from everything, from route details to how you do certain things, catching the ball, hand placement, just learning from each and every one of them,” Stribling told NBC Sports Bay Area on “Meet the Rookies.”
“(I’ll be) competing and pushing them to be better so I can become better, also.”