De'Zhaun Stribling’s size-speed combo fits Chiefs' late-round draft plans

When it comes to the wide receiver position, it truly feels like we'll never see another outright "bad" class again. With the growth of flag football and 7-on-7 camps, it's hard to see a class being totally deprived of talent. With that being said, this class does lack a consensus top talent, but it has depth for days. Something that is also unique about the class is the wide variety of roles.

The Kansas CIty Chiefs certainly have plenty of paths they could take at wide receiver. Do they look for a Rashee Rice replacement, for insurance in his role (as a power slot) and after his contract ends? Do they look for a boundary X receiver, something they've lacked over the last few years? How do they view Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton in this offense? The whole wide receiver corps is kinda like a puzzle that seems to be missing pieces.

The good news is this class has lots of different shapes and sizes to make the pieces work together. To get a full breakdown on the receiver class and their roles, check out our recent podcast on the wide receiver class.

NFL Scouting Report: De'Zhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss

1. De'Zhaun Stribling's background
2. De'Zhaun Stribling's strengths
3. De'Zhaun Stribling's weaknesses
4. What does Stribling bring to the NFL?

De'Zhaun Stribling's background

Age: 23 (on draft day)

Height: 6-2

Weight: 207 LBS.

Hands: 10 inches

Arms: 31 5/8

Tape Exposure: Georgia (2025), Tulane (2025), Florida (2025)

Stribling attended Kapolei High School in Kapolei, Hawaii. Rated as a 3-star prospect by 247 Sports, he committed to Washington State, where he played his first two seasons. In 2023, he entered the transfer portal, committing to Oklahoma State, where he only saw action in four games before receiving a medical redshirt due to a season-ending hand injury. After a successful 2024 season for the Cowboys, he entered the portal again for his final year of eligibility and committed to Ole Miss. Stribling finished his college career with 2,964 yards and 23 touchdowns in 56 games played.

De'Zhaun Stribling's strengths

Size/Speed Combo

An appealing skill set to play on the boundary of any offense. Has a long but dense frame that brings long strides down the field with a 91st percentile 40-yard dash and big 10-inch hands.

Vertical Plane

Strong downfield movement skills and ball tracking. Has the strength to play through contact and fight for the ball. Solid at beating press man coverage as well.

Production

Has been productive at every stop he's made in several offenses. Six touchdowns in each of the last two seasons. Three seasons of 600+ yards and five or more touchdowns. Very solid hands with a career 4 percent drop rate.

De'Zhaun Stribling's weaknesses

Yards After Catch

Not a YAC threat due to limitations in short-area quickness and overall twitch.

Route Refrinement

Not the most diverse or sound runner, can round off routes due to some hip stiffness. While good against press, most of that is strength. Could use refinement in the release package.

Contested Catches

Overall, his career contested catch rate of 45.7% isn't a bad number. The question is, with his limitations as a separator, is that stable? Doesn't use his frame to the best of his ability and could improve at playing through contact and high-pointing the ball.

What does Stribling bring to the NFL?

Stribling isn't likely to blossom into a superstar or a player you're grabbing in the back of your fantasy draft. However, he can be a valuable X receiver for an offense that needs snaps and the occasional bucket here and there. Similar to any championship team, every offense needs a guy who can go get 20–25 catches that feel a lot more important than they seem on the stat sheet. If Stribling can come into Kansas City and fill a void as a sacrificial X and catch a few contested catches downfield, that's a valuable role player on what is likely to be a Day 3 pick.

Stribling is a long-striding outside receiver with good size, ball skills, and build-up speed who can threaten all three levels while tracking the ball well and generating chunk plays after the catch. He runs disciplined routes with solid pacing and awareness, showing the ability to beat off coverage and find soft spots, though his separation relies more on stride length than suddenness. However, his limited short-area burst, average hip sink, and inconsistent physicality at the catch point can hinder his ability to separate underneath and consistently win through contact.

Round Grade: Grey Chip (day 3 grade)

Shades of: Jalen Tolbert