Former Ole Miss wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling showcased his skills at the Ole Miss Pro Day on Wednesday, held within the Manning Center.
Stribling played a pivotal role in the Rebels’ impressive semifinal journey, which came to a close against the Miami Hurricanes with a narrow 31-27 loss in the Fiesta Bowl. Last season, Ole Miss boasted an impressive record of 13-2 and finished 7-1 in the SEC, marking a historic achievement for the program.
Reflecting on his time in college football, Stribling shared, “I played at a high level playing in the SEC.” “Playing in this offense, being able to showcase all my abilities as a receiver, and then even towards the end of the year, being more of the go-to guy. Being in different spots with the offense and then having a great run in the playoffs helped a lot.”
Before arriving in Oxford, the Kapolei, Hawaii, native spent two seasons each at Oklahoma State and Washington State. During his time at Stillwater, he participated in 16 games and played 25 games for the Cougars. His exposure to different football systems has equipped Stribling well for professional competition.
“Transferring around a lot in college and learning different offenses, for sure, I feel like it’s going to prepare me better for the NFL,” he explained. “Just because of my ability to learn quicker and retain information.”
In February, Stribling made headlines at the NFL Combine by clocking an impressive 4.36 seconds in the 40-yard dash held in Indianapolis.
“It opened everyone’s eyes to my speed,” he remarked. “Personally, I knew that I was that fast. It was about going out there and running a great time and showing everybody I was glad that I was able to showcase my speed at a high level.”
Post-Combine, Stribling noted an uptick in interest from NFL teams.
He delivered an outstanding performance before scouts present at Pro Day: “I showed all my speed and showed my in and out of the cuts,” he said. “Being very fast and very fluid. So, overall, a great day.”
As he looks ahead to professional play, Stribling had an excellent season with 55 receptions for 811 yards and six touchdowns for Ole Miss.
“My versatility and my ability to play inside and out,” he stated confidently. “My ability to catch the ball, having strong hands, contested catches, and my physicality being very strong in the run game, running strong when I have the ball in my hands.”
Throughout this process leading up to the draft, Stribling has been actively engaging with NFL teams.
“Yeah, I’ve been talking to almost everybody, little Zoom calls and meetings and stuff like that,” Stribling said. “It’s been a great journey and a great experience,” he said enthusiastically.
Now, all eyes are on April 23-25, when Stribling hopes to hear his name called during the NFL Draft taking place in Pittsburgh, PA.
