49ers select De'Zhaun Stribling-WR-Ole Miss with the 33rd pick in the 2026 NFL Draft

Originally posted by NYniner85:

De'Zhaun Stribling's role with the 49ers is so clear and exciting pic.twitter.com/dbKtJDmMtJ

— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) May 1, 2026

Exciting stuff. Love the blocking

Originally posted by Chance:

Originally posted by Heroism:

Originally posted by riverrunzthruit:
check out Strib on this wham block from the wing.... a TE or FB usually does this kickout but he has the physical and athletic traits as a blocker to do this... this is why he plays this year, and while he earns faith with KS doing this he can start perfecting his skills as a route runner, I believe he already has the skills to separate at the top of the stem or off the line in press, but route running in the NFL is at another level the at Ole Miss

If 49ers rookie De'Zhaun Stribling can pull across the formation on a kick out block I think he will be able to find himself some playing time this year

There's currently no other WR who is doing this on the 49ers roster https://t.co/dhYZgiIeoR pic.twitter.com/ms1JGvgOQC

— Brad (@Graham_SFN) April 30, 2026

there's a rep where he's tasked with sift blocking Rueben Bain. Of course, it doesn't end well, but the fact that he was put in the spot and was game says a lot about him as a person.

edit got it. Imagine being a WR and having this assignment. Crazy!

Ouch, lol. Well, he kinda did his job on the play.

He took on the DE and allowed the RB to bounce forward. He definitely took one on the chin for the team.

The main reason I wanted Boston was because guys like NY, heroism etc were super high on his blocking….and by all accounts this guy is even better and has other enticing attributes.

Originally posted by Hoovtrain:

The main reason I wanted Boston was because guys like NY, heroism etc were super high on his blocking….and by all accounts this guy is even better and has other enticing attributes.

I liked Boston for his ability in the red zone and third down. People his size shouldn't be as quick as he is. Dude is 6' 4" 215 and ran a 6.8 three cone. And the tape matched that.

He also looked far faster on the field than people claimed, reaching a top speed of 22 MPH in 2024 and hit 20 MPH+ still last year. He's not as fast a Stribling, sure, but he comes from a program that has churned out quality receiver prospects recently. (feel bad for Jalen McMillan, showed huge promise before an awful spine injury last year).

Stribling has more long speed, giving a more true vertical threat for your offense. I think they are similar as blockers, but Boston showed more suddenness and polish in his routes IMO. He particularly was superior to Stribling on outbreakers. I thought he did a tremendous job selling his routes too, really strong football IQ IMO.

Overall, I found Boston as more NFL ready, whereas Stribling you are hoping to realize large upside and mask the weakness in the meantime. It'll be interesting to see the development of both.

Originally posted by NYniner85:

De'Zhaun Stribling's role with the 49ers is so clear and exciting pic.twitter.com/dbKtJDmMtJ

— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) May 1, 2026

I remembered him from watching the CFB playoffs but never dug into him. At first, I was like wtf is this pick??

but as I've dived into him - really excited for him. I think he brings an element we need (speed) but also everything else - great hands, tough, blocks, can run routes all over etc.

I think Evans, Pearsall, and Stribling will all compliment each other well. If we stay healthy, I think we can finally beat man coverage. Last two years man coverage has smothered us. I'm looking forward to guys getting separation again.

Originally posted by Hoovtrain:

Originally posted by NYniner85:

De'Zhaun Stribling's role with the 49ers is so clear and exciting pic.twitter.com/dbKtJDmMtJ

— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) May 1, 2026

Exciting stuff. Love the blocking

Yes! With defenses going big nickel, I can see Stribling block the hybrid LB/Safety on his azz and CMC/Black goes for a long TD.

Originally posted by OnTheClock:
I liked Boston for his ability in the red zone and third down. People his size shouldn't be as quick as he is. Dude is 6' 4" 215 and ran a 6.8 three cone. And the tape matched that.

He also looked far faster on the field than people claimed, reaching a top speed of 22 MPH in 2024 and hit 20 MPH+ still last year. He's not as fast a Stribling, sure, but he comes from a program that has churned out quality receiver prospects recently. (feel bad for Jalen McMillan, showed huge promise before an awful spine injury last year).

Stribling has more long speed, giving a more true vertical threat for your offense. I think they are similar as blockers, but Boston showed more suddenness and polish in his routes IMO. He particularly was superior to Stribling on outbreakers. I thought he did a tremendous job selling his routes too, really strong football IQ IMO.

Overall, I found Boston as more NFL ready, whereas Stribling you are hoping to realize large upside and mask the weakness in the meantime. It'll be interesting to see the development of both.

I agree with everything here. Boston was defeneetely more NFL ready but i dont think he is much of a deep threat. Interesting about the 20+ mph. Im not sure that showed up consistently on tape because his separation stats were in bottom 20%. On the flip side he had the best contested catch % and like you mentioned is more advanced on his route tree.

I do think the team valued a vertical threat to clear out underneath and Stribling was maybe best in class in that apart from Brendan Thompson and Branch but Stribling does offer more size and can short and intermediate routes too (mainly comparing to Thompson here).

One thing i will push back on is Stribling route running i dont think he has shown he is a bad route runner its just he wasnt asked to do much in the Ole Miss offense but the route he was asked to run like outbreaking and slants he was pretty good at

Originally posted by tankle104:

Originally posted by NYniner85:

De'Zhaun Stribling's role with the 49ers is so clear and exciting pic.twitter.com/dbKtJDmMtJ

— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) May 1, 2026

I remembered him from watching the CFB playoffs but never dug into him. At first, I was like wtf is this pick??

but as I've dived into him - really excited for him. I think he brings an element we need (speed) but also everything else - great hands, tough, blocks, can run routes all over etc.

I think Evans, Pearsall, and Stribling will all compliment each other well. If we stay healthy, I think we can finally beat man coverage. Last two years man coverage has smothered us. I'm looking forward to guys getting separation again.

Agreed i think they all bring something different to the table. Plus you mix in Kittle and CMC and you have something exciting on passing downs night and day to end of last year.

I never say Stribling play much in college. All I know is he has all the attributes that Niner fans have wanted for years. Size. Speed. Good hands. Good blocker. Runs decent routes. There's really nothing to not like unless you're just upset because you think he was drafted too early.

Originally posted by CatchMaster80:
I never say Stribling play much in college. All I know is he has all the attributes that Niner fans have wanted for years. Size. Speed. Good hands. Good blocker. Runs decent routes. There's really nothing to not like unless you're just upset because you think he was drafted too early.

He'll be in a WR room with Mike Evans and I'm sure Jerry Rice is a phone call away. He's got a recipe for success if he wants it. Hopefully the gold helmet thing wasn't BS and he takes full advantage of the opportunity he has and makes Kyle and John look like geniuses and all of us eat crow for even doubting when they took him.

Originally posted by ritz126:

Originally posted by OnTheClock:

I liked Boston for his ability in the red zone and third down. People his size shouldn't be as quick as he is. Dude is 6' 4" 215 and ran a 6.8 three cone. And the tape matched that.

He also looked far faster on the field than people claimed, reaching a top speed of 22 MPH in 2024 and hit 20 MPH+ still last year. He's not as fast a Stribling, sure, but he comes from a program that has churned out quality receiver prospects recently. (feel bad for Jalen McMillan, showed huge promise before an awful spine injury last year).

Stribling has more long speed, giving a more true vertical threat for your offense. I think they are similar as blockers, but Boston showed more suddenness and polish in his routes IMO. He particularly was superior to Stribling on outbreakers. I thought he did a tremendous job selling his routes too, really strong football IQ IMO.

Overall, I found Boston as more NFL ready, whereas Stribling you are hoping to realize large upside and mask the weakness in the meantime. It'll be interesting to see the development of both.

I agree with everything here. Boston was defeneetely more NFL ready but i dont think he is much of a deep threat. Interesting about the 20+ mph. Im not sure that showed up consistently on tape because his separation stats were in bottom 20%. On the flip side he had the best contested catch % and like you mentioned is more advanced on his route tree.

I do think the team valued a vertical threat to clear out underneath and Stribling was maybe best in class in that apart from Brendan Thompson and Branch but Stribling does offer more size and can short and intermediate routes too (mainly comparing to Thompson here).

One thing i will push back on is Stribling route running i dont think he has shown he is a bad route runner its just he wasnt asked to do much in the Ole Miss offense but the route he was asked to run like outbreaking and slants he was pretty good at

Yeah, Shanahan did make a point that they "looked slow last year" and "HAD to get faster". Put two and two together and it makes sense why they went with the speed guy if they rated both similarly.

I think even on the inbreakers, I got a little frustrated by Stribling rounding his routes. It's a small detail, but you want to see precise, sharp cuts consistently. I didn't see that from him and I'd say part of it is just his stride can make it a challenge. I think that's why his out breaker success rate was lower too, he needs to lean into that physicality more consistently to get that separation. Do what JJ did but then burst out. That said, besides the speed advantage to run by players deep, they have to respect with more cushion if they aren't effective at press jamming. Good press man corners did give him a little trouble, but not that he can't improve on this.

Boston, truthfully HAD to be more refined because he wasn't going to run by anyone consistently. He used game IQ and technical prowess to get open on the intermediate to longer range stuff. Natural quickness and strong cuts to get open underneath, strong hands and size advantage to box out defenders in the red zone. Things I didn't see Stribling do a ton of.

You never know sometimes when they get to the NFL. I think he's going to a room with two fantastic technicians in Pearsall and Evans. I love the size and speed of our revamped WR room. Hoping Watkins can improve too. I'm still a big believer in Cowing and hope he can stay healthy.

Someone from that group needs to emerge as our KR PR

Originally posted by CatchMaster80:
I never say Stribling play much in college. All I know is he has all the attributes that Niner fans have wanted for years. Size. Speed. Good hands. Good blocker. Runs decent routes. There's really nothing to not like unless you're just upset because you think he was drafted too early.

Just looking at the RAS scores, Stribling definitely outclasses Boston. Not that - that's going to make Stribling a Hall of fame player and Boston an early cut. But I certainly like the fact that his athleticism makes the ceiling for Stribling much higher than Boston's. I would have loved to keep Jauan Jennings for a good price, but it's unfortunate that he priced himself out of the 49ers market a year or two ago. If Stribling really is a faster and more athletic version of Jauan Jennings, that's a bargain pick in my book.

Originally posted by Giedi:

Originally posted by Hoovtrain:

Originally posted by NYniner85:

De'Zhaun Stribling's role with the 49ers is so clear and exciting pic.twitter.com/dbKtJDmMtJ

— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) May 1, 2026

Exciting stuff. Love the blocking

Yes! With defenses going big nickel, I can see Stribling block the hybrid LB/Safety on his azz and CMC/Black goes for a long TD.

Bain is a 21 year old man-child.