What is De'Zhaun Stribling's role as 'big part' of 49ers offense?

As the season draws nearer, De'Zhaun Stribling's role in the San Francisco 49ers offense is beginning to look clearer.

Speaking on the "49ers Talk" podcast with NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy singled out the rookie's habits early in camp and noted that he'll play a big part in the team's offense in 2026.

"He's done an amazing job with coming in and, um, obviously learning the playbook and just keeping his head down and working," Purdy said. "... he's going to be a big part of our offense this year, so I'm excited to see him play."

As for how he fits into the offense, The Athletic 's Matt Barrows believes Stribling is primed to be the primary slot receiver and "Mike Evans' understudy at X," while Deebo Samuel will play the Z receiver role on the strong side of the formation.

Barrows noted that all of San Francisco's receivers are expected to be cross-trained across the three spots, but that Stribling's clearest early path to snaps runs through the slot, with added reps as Evans' backup on the outside.

The 49ers used the No. 33 overall pick on Stribling in this year's draft, the first selection of the second round, after he closed out his college career at Ole Miss with 261 receptions, 2,964 yards and 23 touchdowns across stints at Washington State, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss. His 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the combine reinforced the vertical speed teams covet, even if his projected role leans more toward the slot to start.

Stribling finished the preseason with 11 catches on 13 targets for 109 yards in the two games he played. He sat out the final preseason game while recovering from a minute shoulder injury.

Between Purdy's public endorsement of his work ethic and Barrows' outline of a multi-spot role, Stribling looks like he's carving out real involvement in the offense early in his rookie season — even if the bulk of his snaps come from the slot rather than as an outside X or Z option.