After a full day of waiting and another with speculation of a third trade back, the San Francisco 49ers finally made a selection, taking Ole Miss wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling with the No. 33 pick in the draft.
Stribling, who stands 6’2, 207 pounds, seems like a great fit on paper for the Kyle Shanahan offense. He’s got good size to match with acceleration that can lead to some strong deep speed (4.36 40-yard dash). But he works best with the ball in his hands after the catch as a long strider.
There’s a lot to like about the player, but was this the best decision for the 49ers at 33? Let’s evaluate all the options and break down the pick.
Should the 49ers have traded back?
Heading into Day 2, the national talk around the 49ers’ pick was that there was a good amount of interest from teams looking to trade up.
Teams like the New York Giants, Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, and others were rumored to move up, but as the second round was set to begin, reporters shared that the 49ers didn’t find a deal they liked enough and were set to stick and pick.
Stribling was considered a bit further down the board, but was considered a sneaky riser heading into the day, with teams looking at wide receiver. Still, on the consensus board, receivers like Denzel Boston, Chris Bell, Germie Bernard, and Zachariah Branch were seen as higher-rated prospects.
Looking at the first 10 picks of the second round, only one other receiver was selected: Boston, who went at No. 39 to the Cleveland Browns. Instead, as expected, we saw the run on edge rushers and defensive tackles start with T.J. Parker (No. 35), Kayden McDonald (No. 36), R Mason Thomas (No. 40), Cashius Howell (No. 41), and Christen Miller (No. 42).
So, if the 49ers did move back with a team like the Giants, who were reportedly targeting McDonald in the second round, they could’ve gotten an extra pick and still likely get their guy in Stribling.
But, I don’t think it was a significant loss in a draft where Day 3 picks are seen as weaker in a draft with less depth on the backend. Plus, San Francisco recouped an extra fifth-round pick by trading linebacker Dee Winters to the Dallas Cowboys on Friday.
Who else was available?
One of the bigger questions was what position the 49ers would take with their first selection. After trading back twice in the first round on Thursday, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan were comfortable at No. 33 because they still had a similar pool of players available that they were targeting at No. 27.
Wide receiver was a position mocked a ton to San Francisco, and Denzel Boston, seen by some as a potential first-rounder in the class, was available. He had seen interest from the 49ers, but it’s clear Stribling was higher on their board with the pick there at No. 33. And it makes sense, given the great fit in the offense.
Elsewhere, offensive line was a need. While there weren’t any tackles that would’ve made sense at No. 33, offensive guard Chase Bisontis could’ve been a plug-and-play starter at left guard and was another player getting some first-round buzz before falling out.
Defensive line was the third position mocked a ton to San Francisco, and that’s where we saw a ton of players go off the board. There were some edge rushers (T.J. Parker, Cashius Howell) and defensive tackles (Kayden McDonald, Christen Miller) that would’ve made sense.
But it is a deeper draft for tackles, with some starting-caliber players potentially to be found in the third round.
Safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren was still there as well, and he slid past the first half of the second round, with fellow safety Treydan Stukes going earlier at No. 38. Both could’ve been options if the 49ers were valuing a safety.
Without an offensive tackle on the board, I don’t think wide receiver was a poor selection, as the 49ers wanted future security and youth there. They get that with Stribling.
Evaluating the Stribling pick
This is a classic Kyle Shanahan pick, and I feel very similarly about this selection as I did when the 49ers took Ricky Pearsall at No. 31 in 2024. They’re going to be productive players in the NFL and landed in one of the best spots for their skill sets.
I saw Pearsall as a 1,000-yard type of receiver once he developed, and we’ve seen flashes of that when he’s been healthy. Pearsall stood out with his route-running abilities, as he got in and out of routes well, mainly only having inconsistencies against press coverage. That’s why I felt confident he could be a quality No. 2 wide receiver in the NFL and could prove his worth. It was just a bit of a reach at No. 31, with me having a second-round grade on Pearsall heading into the draft.
Then, I liked the player and loved the fit. Just not the spot as much.
With Stribling, you can see why Kyle Shanahan likes him. He’s a competitor, a willing run-blocker, and has some elite acceleration, which we saw with his 4.36 40-yard dash. Overall, he tested well (especially in the broad jump) at the combine, and that with his size at 6’2, 205 pounds makes for an impressive athletic profile.
He can fill the old Deebo Samuel role in a way as a player Shanahan schemes open in the intermediate part of the field and lets him work with green grass ahead of him. But the two are different types of players.
Like Pearsall, Stribling is on the older side when drafted at 24 years old, and that’s a part of the hesitancy for me at the spot. With your first pick, you want players who can earn a strong second contract. Stribling’s age creates questions for that ceiling, as he’ll be 28 going into his first potential free agency. But, age has become less of a factor in today’s NIL era.
Contested catches is another area where I want to see the wideout grow. He had nine contested catches last season at a 50 percent rate, with the inconsistencies coming more down the field. But, the 49ers are building a pretty nice receiver core with a contested catch demon (Mike Evans), a route-running technician (Ricky Pearsall), and an accelerator that works well after the catch (Stribling).
I thought receiver was a need heading into the draft, and I like the player the 49ers drafted with Stribling. He’s a great fit for the scheme, and I think he’s got a higher ceiling than Pearsall when the 49ers drafted him at No. 31 in the 2024 NFL Draft with his size and athletic profile.
He’s going to be a productive player. It was probably just a bit too high, but you have to weigh that with all the factors.
