The second week of the NFL preseason is underway with five games in the books entering the weekend. Preseason football is like a box of chocolates as Forrest Gump would say, "You never know what you're going to get." That's because some squads have their starters chained to the bench, some play minimal snaps and some could receive as much of a half of work. Observing who could emerge as a real contributor from the chaos that is preseason football is tricky given the varying degrees of skill levels on the field all at the same time, but it's possible to identify who maximized their opportunity and who would like a do-over.
Let's kick off the weekend by identifying the winners and losers of Week 2 of the 2026 preseason. San Francisco 49ers 2026 second-round pick wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling, the rookie 33rd overall pick out of Ole Miss, is THE breakout star of the preseason this year. After catching four of his five targets for 46 yards receiving on Thursday against the Los Angeles Chargers, Stribling is now up to 11 catches for 109 yards receiving on 13 targets.
That makes Stribling the first player since at least 2017 to produce at least 11 catches combined within the first 20 minutes of two consecutive preseason games, per CBS Sports Research. Many preseason All-Stars don't end up contributing much outside of special teams for their respective squads, but it's safe to say Stribling will have a place on head coach Kyle Shanahan's play call sheet early this regular season. That's especially true when factoring in how snake-bitten by injury San Francisco is at the position.
Every De'Zhaun Stribling target from week 2 of the preseason. pic.twitter.com/aDUNARC2WT No, Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, Derek Stingley Jr. and the rest of the starters from the NFL's No. 1 total defense (277.2 total yards per game allowed) in 2025 weren't on the field Thursday night, but the Houston Texans' ferocious tenacity on defense certainly was. They bullied Las Vegas Raiders first overall pick rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza in the first half, generating an 80-yard pick-six by fourth-round rookie linebacker Wade Woodaz and an 11-yard sack by second-round rookie defensive tackle Kayden McDonald. OPEN UP A CAN OF WOODAZZZZZZ 🤯📺: @nflonespn pic.twitter.com/Ke0lrYupPs Seeing McDonald flash pass rush chops like this should send shivers down the spines of offensive coordinators all around the league.
If there was an area Houston needed to shore up on their defense, it was defensive tackle, and they were able to do so by drafting McDonald, the 2026 NFL Draft's top defensive tackle prospect in the eyes of many, including yours truly. McDonald, who is listed at 6-foot-3-inches tall while weighing 326 pounds, was more of a run stuffer than a pass rusher in college at Ohio State, but if he can find his groove early on when tasked to get after the quarterback, Houston's defense could be a much greater problem for the rest of the league. KMAC WITH THE SACK 😮💨📺: @nflonespn pic.twitter.com/kOks1uMcrW Tennessee All-SEC cornerback Jermod McCoy profiled as a likely first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft until the medicals surrounding his knee scared teams away.
McCoy did suffer a torn ACL in January of 2025, but fears about inflammation and arthritis in his knee caused him to tumble all the way down to being the 101st overall pick and a fourth-round draft choice. In the Raiders' 22-20 preseason victory over the Texans on Thursday, McCoy appeared to be moving well and in phase with opposing wide receivers when tasked with dropping back into man coverage. Perhaps he can end up becoming the best value pick of the 2026 rookie draft class if given the opportunity to receive snaps with Las Vegas' starting defense.
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