De’Zhaun Stribling is officially a San Francisco 49er.
The preseason standout the team selected with its top pick in the past NFL draft didn’t make it to halftime of his first professional game without seemingly being struck by their injury curse.
Stribling pulled up limp on a route in the second quarter of their season-opener against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, and had to be helped off the field. He was eventually carted to the locker room.
The 49ers have yet to issue an official update on his status.
Stribling spent time in the injury tent earlier in the game with an issue with his left ankle, the same leg he appeared to injure later in the game. He was initially ruled questionable to return before coming back in the game.
The loss is a tough one for the 49ers, who had seemed to uncover a potential immediate contributor with the 33rd overall pick. Stribling was the top-rated offensive rookie at any position in the preseason, according to Pro Football Focus, hauling in 11 of 13 targets in two games.
He had yet to catch a pass before leaving his NFL debut with an apparent injury. Its severity remains to be determined, but anytime a player gets on the medical cart, it’s an ominous signal.
The 49ers already lost one player to a season-ending injury on their 8,000-mile excursion to open the season in front of almost 100,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Defensive tackle Alfred Collins was ruled out for the season after tearing his patellar tendon in practice.
Ricky Pearsall, the receiver they chose with their top pick in 2024, will also miss the rest of the year after undergoing surgery to repair his PCL in training camp. Now, it would appear they’ve lost the pass catcher they chose with their most recent top pick less than two quarters into his first career game.
Quarterback Brock Purdy lost another potential target in tight end Jake Tonges, who limped off the field shortly before halftime, favoring his right foot. George Kittle, their top tight end, hauled in only two of five first-half targets and didn’t quite look like himself in his first game back since tearing his Achilles.
Purdy completed 17 of 25 passes for 141 yards to lead the 49ers to a 10-7 advantage at halftime, spreading the love around to eight targets — including center Jake Brendel, who was credited with an improbable 2-yard gain when he came down with the ball on a blown-up play.
Purdy’s favorite first-half target was unquestionably Mike Evans, establishing an early rapport with the veteran newcomer for five catches — three for third-down conversions.
