.jpg)
1 hour ago
5
The San Francisco 49ers changed up their wide receiver room in a major way this offseason, with Jauan Jennings, Brandon Aiyuk, and Kendrick Bourne all gone.
They added Christian Kirk as depth, but they made two massive additions in Mike Evans in free agency and De'Zhuan Stribling in the NFL Draft. And for Evans, it's the first time he's not playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his career.
However, as EPSN's Jeremy Fowler took note of, Evans will be playing in a familiar situation, with Stribling drawing comparisons to Chris Godwin Jr., Evans' teammate in Tampa Bay.
Mike Evans to play alongside WR with Chris Godwin comp
"Mike Evnas might look across the formation and see a player who reminds him of his old running mate in Tampa Bay, Chris Godwin Jr.," Fowler writes, "San Francisco's second-round receiver, Ole Miss' De'Zhaun Stribling, compared favorably to Godwin when he was coming out of Penn State..."
The 49ers took Stribling with the No. 33 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft at the top of the second-round, much to the surprise of many, especially with Denzel Boston still on the board.
But Stribling is someone Kyle Shanahan and company like, and he's drawn a comparison to someone Evans has experience playing alongside in Godwin.
More: 49ers searching for possible Brandon Aiyuk trade instead of a simple release
Coming out of college, Stribling weighed 207 pounds while Godwin weighed 209. They also had similar athletic tests.
Their 40-yard dash (4.36 for Stribling, 4.42 for Godwin), broad jump (10-foot-7 to 10-6), and vertical jump (both at 36 inches) were similar, as Fowler took note of.
While there's a whole lot more to their games than their size and athleticism, this comparison for Stribling is a very favorable one that should help Evans and Stribling fit right in together in the 49ers offense.
The 49ers won't be putting prime Evans and Godwin into their offense, but if they can get something even relatively close, their two big WR additions could be exactly what this team needs for a Super Bowl run in 2026.
English (US)