I just planted 50 strawberry plants at my daughter's house, so, yes they can look like mostly roots at first, but very quickly you will see green sprouts coming out of the 'crown' of the plant if it is alive.
The roots are thin and stringy, maybe 3 to 5 in. long. The stems of the dead leaves are a bit thicker. You should be able to 'fan' out the roots and detect where the crown of the plant is. A magnifying glass might help.
Soak it for an hour or so before you are going to plant. Plant it so that the roots are in the soil but the crown is raised up on a little mound of dirt. Crown rot will get them if you have wet weather before they really get going if you don't keep the crown up where it can dry out.
