The San Francisco 49ers drew opinions earlier this offseason when they took Ole Miss wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling with the No. 33 pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, with analysts perceiving the pick as a slight reach, given that he was a consensus late second-rounder.
However, several reports came out following the draft that Stribling was seen higher by the NFL than the media and was expected to be a second-round pick, with the 49ers not wanting to risk losing the wideout with another trade down.
Standing
6’2, 210 pounds, Stribling ran a 4.36 40-yard dash and was one of the more physically impressive wide receivers in the draft. San Francisco clearly had an affinity for the wideout, as head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch revealed after the draft that Stribling would’ve been the team’s pick at No. 27 overall, where the 49ers were initially slated to pick.
But the team was able to pick up additional draft compensation and move back to No. 33, where they ultimately still took Stribling.
Earlier this week, ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed that one of the teams interested in Stribling was the Los Angeles Rams, with some even believing the Ole Miss product was the best receiver in the draft.
“What’s interesting about this selection is there were some people that wondered if it was too early for De’Zhaun Stribling to go, and yet there were a couple of teams that I spoke to in the draft process leading up to the draft that felt that De’Zhaun Stribling was the best wide receiver in the draft,” Schefter said.
“Another team, supposedly the Los Angeles Rams, had eyes on him as well. The 49ers didn’t just come up with this pick out of nowhere. They knew that there were other teams that had a very high grade on Stribling when the 49ers declined to trade out the top draft slot in the second round and take him there.”
Of course, while Stribling may have been a surprise for some at his draft slot, he did feel like a good fit with the 49ers with his skill set.
“He’s an interesting player,” ESPN’s Mina Kimes added on Get Up. “You can see why it’s possible the 49ers valued him a bit more than other teams in the NFL. That draft pick did take some folks by surprise, but when you dig into the tape, playing at Ole Miss, the route tree is somewhat limited by the scheme.
“But you see a lot of the attributes that they want. You mention running that sub-4.4 40. He’s 6’2. That’s a rare combination. He’s also really tough. He’s a good blocker, again very San Francisco 49ers-coded. And he fits in with the players they already have and added. Mike Evans is the true X. Ricky Pearsall, I see as the Z, [and] Stribling playing the slot as like a big slot or just close to the formation.”
Stribling’s role in 2026 for the 49ers may not be as big with Christian Kirk and Mike Evans in the fold, but it seems like there was some league-wide interest in him during the draft in the second round.
