The San Francisco 49ers didn’t pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but they did kick off the second round, selecting wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling with the 33rd overall pick. The selection was immediately criticized, with many people arguing that San Francisco made a massive reach.
The Niners never let the criticism get to them, defending the selection of Stribling the entire time, and expressing how excited they are to add him to the offense. While time will ultimately tell who was right on draft night, San Francisco has been happy with what it has already seen from the receiver.
Additionally, the 49ers have been getting validation for when they picked Stribling, showing they didn’t reach at all. That was evident in a recent ESPN piece by Jeremy Fowler, where the NFL insider asked league executives to highlight some of their favorite moves of the offseason.
One of the praised moves was San Francisco’s selection of Stribling.
NFL executives are praising 49ers’ selection of De’Zhaun Stribling
According to Fowler, many evaluators liked Stribling landing with San Francisco at pick No. 33. While people outside the NFL questioned when he was drafted, the evaluation within the league was that Stribling was a late riser in the draft process, and ultimately went in the range where teams expected him to be selected.
That was evident in a quote from an NFC executive who said, “He was going within the first five to 10 picks in the second round. That was not a reach at all. He can really play.”
So clearly, the NFL had a different evaluation of Stribling than the draft community, and the 49ers did what they had to do to be the team who walked away with him.
That’s exciting because Fowler also explained that Stribling is considered the ideal fit for what Kyle Shanahan and San Francisco wants to do, offensively. Considering how the Niners' wide receiver room has been transformed, the wideout has the chance to immediately contribute as a rookie.
After five seasons in college, attending three different schools, Stribling had his best two seasons in the last two years, catching over 50 passes for 800-plus yards and six touchdowns in each of the last two seasons.
He will now try to carry that momentum over to the 49ers.
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