The 2026 NFL Draft was a weird one for the San Francisco 49ers. They decided to trade down twice to leave the first round altogether, and then reached to draft a wideout with the 33rd overall pick, and said receiver was projected to go in the middle of the third round. According to Kyle Shanahan, the draft was a success.
By trading out of the first round, the 49ers went from six to eight picks. Per Shanahan, “That’s kind of what we were hoping for,” as he told Rich Eisen. “Our first goal was that the guy we wanted would fall to 27, but we got our second goal, and that was to trade back twice, accumulate some more picks, and still get the guy.
The 49ers ended up picking wideout De’Zhaun Stribling with the 33rd pick. According to Shanahan, they would’ve drafted him at 30. Stribling was projected as a third-rounder. Therefore, it was an eye-opening statement that they were even willing to pick him at 30.
De’Zhaun Stribling’s profile
A five-year College Football player, Stribling is a big, tall player that has a great straight-line speed, as his 4.36-second 40-yard dash showed. He is a great vertical threat. Stribling also has great hands, but he has a very specific skill set. He goes deep, that’s it.
De’Zhaun Stribling has a ton of athleticism but didn’t have eye popping numbers.
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) April 24, 2026
Ran a 4.36 40, had a 1.8% drop rate in 2025, and can be a downfield threat for the #49ers. #FTTB pic.twitter.com/tV4AAAPuJZ
Stribling doesn’t have great release or change of directions. However, given that the 49ers have people like Mike Evans and Ricky Pearsall on the roster, what they lack is a true vertical threat, the rest is covered. Hence, it was mostly the fact that they could fill a hole on the roster by picking Stribling.
The 49ers projected offensive lineup in 2026
The offensive line will be spearheaded by left tackle Trent Williams joined by guards Robert Jones and Dominick Puni, center Jake Brendel, and right tackle Colton McKivitz. They will be in charge of pass protection and run blocking. As for Stribling, he’s not expected to be a starter.
QB- Brock Purdy
RB- Christian McCaffrey
TE- George Kittle*
LWR- Mike Evans
RWR- Ricky Pearsall
SWR- Christian Kirk
*Nursing injury.
