The San Francisco 49ers selected Mississippi wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling with the first pick (No. 33 overall) in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The 49ers initially held the No. 27 overall pick but traded down with the Miami Dolphins. San Francisco received the No. 30 and No. 90 (third round) picks in exchange for its original first-round selection and pick No. 138 (fourth-round compensatory).
Then, the 49ers moved out of the first round completely, sending the No. 30 overall pick to the New York Jets in exchange for the first pick in the second round (No. 33 overall) and a fifth-round draft pick (No. 179).
After recording 1,073 yards and 10 touchdowns during his first two seasons at Washington State, Stribling spent two years at Oklahoma State, where he overcame a 2023 hand injury to post a career-high 882 receiving yards in 2024. In his final season at Ole Miss in 2025, he recorded 55 receptions for 811 yards and six touchdowns, per Sports Reference, while helping the Rebels reach the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Measurements
The following are the official measurements from the NFL Scouting Combine.
- Height: 6-2
- Weight: 207 lbs
- Arms: 31 5/8 inches
- Hands: 10 inches
NFL Scouting Combine
The following are the official testing results from the NFL Scouting Combine.
- 40-yard dash: 4.36 seconds
- 10-yard split: 1.53 seconds
- Vertical jump: 36 inches
- Broad jump: 10 feet, 7 inches
Hometown
Kapolei, HI
College Statistics
| Season | Team | Class | Pos | G | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD |
| 2021 | Washington State | FR | WR | 13 | 44 | 471 | 10.7 | 5 |
| 2022 | Washington State | SO | WR | 12 | 51 | 602 | 11.8 | 5 |
| 2023 | Oklahoma State | JR | WR | 4 | 14 | 198 | 14.1 | 1 |
| 2024 | Oklahoma State | JR | WR | 12 | 52 | 882 | 17 | 6 |
| 2025 | Ole Miss | SR | WR | 15 | 55 | 811 | 14.7 | 6 |
| Total | 56 | 216 | 2,964 | 13.7 | 23 |
- 2021: Honorable Mention All-Pac 12; enrolled January 2021
- 2022: Led team in receiving; missed bowl game (transfer portal)
- 2023: Missed final 10 games (hand); redshirted
- 2024: Led team in receiving yards
- 2025: Led team in receiving TDs; enrolled January 2025
Scouting Report
Lance Zierlein's NFL.com scouting report:
Long-striding, vertical-access wideout with steady play and production. Stribling has good size and early acceleration to climb over the top of coverage but lacks short-area quickness to gain separation underneath. His downfield ball skills are above average but he struggles to consistently carve out catch space and fight through contested-catch contact for tight-coverage wins. He has legit speed after the catch once he finds open grass. He's also one of the most competitive run blockers in the WR class. Stribling projects as an immediate WR4 who could eventually work his way into a starting role.
NFL.com Draft Bio:
- 2021 (Washington State): Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 Conference. Started all 13 games (44-471-10.7, 5 TDs). Enrolled in January.
- 2022 (Washington State): Led team with 602 receiving yards (51 receptions, 11.8 per), 5 receiving TDs. Started 12 games.
- 2023 (Oklahoma State): Started the first 4 games (14-198-14.1, TD). Missed the rest of the year with a wrist injury suffered in bye-week practice.
- 2024 (Oklahoma State): Led team with 882 receiving yards (52 receptions, 17.0 per, 6 TDs). Played in all 12 games with 11 starts.
- 2025: Led team with 6 receiving TDs (55-811-14.7). Started all 15 games.
- Miscellaneous: Uncle is former pro wrestler Don "The Rock" Muraco. Father, Karlos, spent 17 years in the Marines.
Pre-Draft Grade:
Stribling earned a pre-draft grade of 6.28 from NFL.com, which equates to an "eventual average starter," per the site's 8-point grading scale.
Projection:
NFL.com projected Stribling to be a second-round draft pick.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) Grades:
De'Zhaun Stribling is a wide receiver for the Mississippi Rebels who earned a 74.7 overall PFF grade in the 2025 season, 150th among 679 qualified wide receivers. His PFF receiving grade of 73.4 ranked 206th among 679 qualified wide receivers.
More Draft Analysis
PFF's Analysis:
Stribling is a strong, competitive receiver with natural hands and a physical playstyle that shows up as a blocker, after the catch and at the catch point. While he lacks the agility to consistently create separation, he has sufficient long speed to remain a vertical threat from any alignment.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic's Analysis:
With his tall, muscular frame, Stribling quickly accelerates to his top speed and has quickness out of route breaks, even if he didn't put the most versatile route inventory on film (hitches and go routes accounted for 57 percent of his route frequency in 2025). He has dependable hands (1.9 percent drop rate in 2025) and plays strong to the football, but needs to do a better job with his positioning downfield to finish tight-window throws. His smarts and willingness to do the dirty work are coach-pleasing qualities.
Todd McShay of The Ringer's Analysis:
Stribling shares a lot of similarities with Romeo Doubs, who has comparable size and speed and has served as a versatile Z/slot receiver with a nice blend of vertical ability, YAC strength, and overall physicality. Like Doubs, Stribling is a great competitor but a bit linear, and he lacks ideal contested-catch efficiency. Stribling should enter the league as a no. 3 or no. 4 receiver as a rookie but is capable of growing into the same type of starting role that Doubs carved out with the Packers and now the Patriots.
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