{"id":979109,"date":"2026-08-21T09:33:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T09:33:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/979109\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T09:33:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T09:33:25","slug":"49ers-rookies-dezhaun-stribling-kaelon-black-shine-in-win-nbc-sports-bay-area-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/979109\/","title":{"rendered":"49ers rookies De\u2019Zhaun Stribling, Kaelon Black shine in win \u2013 NBC Sports Bay Area & California"},"content":{"rendered":"

INGLEWOOD, Calif. \u2014 Just like Hollywood, the 49ers’ rookies shone in Southern California during San Francisco’s 41-17 preseason win<\/a> over the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday at SoFi Stadium.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In his second outing, wide receiver De\u2019Zhaun Stribling<\/a> showed his ability to track the ball and make contested catches, finishing the night catching four of his five targets for 46 yards. The Ole Miss product was on the field for one series with Brock Purdy, catching all three of the quarterback\u2019s passes for 25 yards.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On the second drive of the game, Stribling took the field with Mac Jones under center, quickly catching a 21-yard pass from the quarterback on the third play of the drive.<\/p>\n

Third-and-De’Zhaun for the third time tonight \ud83e\udd29 pic.twitter.com\/cLhpgkUeNR<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) August 21, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

The rookie certainly would like another opportunity on his second target from Jones that likely would have been a touchdown just four plays later.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The quarterback sent the ball deep to the left corner of the field, and Stribling appeared to track the ball well, getting a hand on it, but he was unable to pull it in. The play might have resulted in a touchdown if Stribling had been able to hold on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has been impressed by the rookie, he said the drop is a catch Stribling must make in his postgame comments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“That’s his strength, is his hands,” Shanahan said of Stribling’s dropped TD pass after the game. “It was one Mac let go of really early. When you call a double move down there, you’ll get that ball up and down, and Mac threw it about as early as you can, so I don’t think [Stribling] picked it up until it was about 3 yards away from him which makes it a real tough catch, but he’s got the ability to do it, so he needs to come down with that one.” <\/p>\n

Still, over two preseason games, the talented rookie has caught 11 of his 13 targets for 109 yards.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thursday night was the NFL preseason debut for running back Kaelon Black, who sat out of the first exhibition against the Tennessee Titans with an adductor strain. The rookie finished the night with eight carries for 33 yards.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Two big back-to-back runs for Kaelon Black. <\/p>\n

33 yards on 8 carries for the #49ers<\/a> rookie. pic.twitter.com\/DDbyJGfgr5<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Matt Lively (@mattblively) August 21, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

While it doesn\u2019t sound like an overwhelming performance, the Indiana product showed his decisiveness when running through the line. Black\u2019s longest run of 9 yards was also due to his second effort after being nearly stopped at the line of scrimmage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the ball-carrier has shown his ability to run routes and catch passes, he was not targeted in the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I was real happy with him,” Shanahan said of Black after the win. “Seeing him for his first practice there on Tuesday versus the Chargers<\/a> you could see it a little bit, and I thought nothing changed today. I thought he ran real physical. Would love to keep him in there a little bit longer, but with it being his second day back, I wanted to be smart with him.”<\/p>\n

Both rookies have appeared to quiet the doubters that questioned the 49ers’ draft philosophies<\/a> after they selected Stribling with the No. 33 overall pick and Black in the third round (No. 90), at least for now.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Of course, the regular season has yet to begin, but the two young 49ers players are showing quite a bit of promise.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast<\/a><\/p>\n

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