De'Zhaun Stribling - Wide Receiver - Ole Miss
1 - Post Catch Capabilities & Play speed
2 - Ball skills & Route Running
Post Catch Capabilities & Play speed
Physical & combative post-catch.
Tough out with great balance through multiple contact types - overwhelms corners & collects hidden yardage with consistency.
Has excellent long speed with the ability to pull away from defenders. More of a “build up” athlete than a raw accelerator, doesn’t play as fast during initial & early acceleration as his 4.36 at the combine would indicate, but can shock defenders once gets on top of them.
He brings that same physicality as a blocker and is a chore to deal with in the run game. Has the size, and willingness to see blocking reps immediately in 12p. Locks onto his defender, and is assignment sound.
Ball Skills & Route Running
Fluid as a ball winner with the requisite twist & contort capabilities to succeed on back shoulder opportunities. Impressed by his control at all phases. Wasn't deployed as a high target earner until later in the season, when he averaged 84 yards per game in his last five appearances.
Has a dependable nature about him when the ball is thrown his way - showed up big against Georgia in the playoff. Dominant game against a good defense - won at the LOS, top of route, catch point, post-catch. Trademark game for Stribling who needs more early route consistency & variety to see a target share worth talking about at the next level.
Where he can struggle are the routes where he is asked to throttle down and work back towards the middle of the field - wasn't asked to win at level two often & truly only had two level opportunities across the bulk of his career. Part of this is likely due to his lack of capabilities as a lateral mover.
Can't break down defensive backs at a high enough level right now in man coverage - doesn't have the important combination of tools + ability to separate on multi-tempo route concepts.