The 2026 NFL Draft is over a month away, which means prospects will begin visiting with NFL Teams. The Bears are reportedly meeting with Ole Miss wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling.
With the 2026 NFL Draft a little over a month away, this is the time for NFL organizations to host prospects on top-30 visits.
These meetings help teams answer a variety of questions about a particular topic. This can be anything from a player’s character to how they fit into the offensive or defensive system to a more detailed background check, etc.
Every NFL team would like as much information as possible on prospects before selecting a player to join their club.
According to NFL and CFB analyst Ryan Fowler, Ole Miss wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling has a visit with the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots.
The 6-foot-2, 207-pound receiver finished his senior season with 55 receptions for 811 yards and six touchdowns. In Ole Miss’ 39-24 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs in the Allstate Sugar Bowl last season, Stribling caught a season-high seven passes for 122 yards.
Before Stribling transferred to Ole Miss for his fifth year in college, he spent two seasons at Oklahoma State and started his career at Washington State. He had the most production in 2024 as a member of the Cowboys’ offense. Stribling caught 52 passes for 882 yards and six touchdowns. Throughout his five-year career, he has primarily lined up out wide (80.6%).
Stribling ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine – the eighth-fastest among wide receivers who ran in Indianapolis.
Here is what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote about the wide receiver prospect in his draft profile.
“Long-striding, vertical-access wideout with steady play and production. Stribling has good size and early acceleration to climb over the top of coverage but lacks short-area quickness to gain separation underneath. His downfield ball skills are above average but he struggles to consistently carve out catch space and fight through contested-catch contact for tight-coverage wins. He has legit speed after the catch once he finds open grass. He’s also one of the most competitive run blockers in the WR class. Stribling projects as an immediate WR4 who could eventually work his way into a starting role.”
The Bears have their first three wide receiver spots set with Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III and Kalif Raymond, but there is an opening for the fourth spot. Jahdae Walker should be the first in line for that position, but if a rookie is drafted, then there could be competition for playing time.
Maurice Alexander and JP Richardson are on the roster as well. In Ben Johnson’s first season as the head coach, the Bears kept six wide receivers on the initial 53-man roster.
Stribling is projected as a Day 3 prospect, and the Bears currently hold the 129th pick in the fourth round and No. 239 and No. 241 in the seventh round.