49ers took major risk in 2026 NFL Draft that may not pan out

The San Francisco 49ers, under general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, have been one of the most consistent and successful franchises in football. 

It's even more impressive that that's the case considering the extremely questionable draft classes the team has ended up with. Lynch made it known that he doesn't care about consensus rankings, and he proves that year after year. 

The 2026 NFL Draft was no exception- and there's one pick in particular the team made this year that has the potential to age very poorly. 

49ers ripped for De'Zhaun Stribling pick 

The 49ers came on the board in the second round with the No. 33 pick in the draft. The team had several needs, and the board looked to have fallen nicely for the team. However, the player the 49ers picked was not on anybody's Bingo card. 

The Niners went with wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling. It made sense for the team to take a receiver, but taking Stribling at the top of the second round was completely unexpected. In fact, Stribling was around No. 180 on the consensus big board, meaning he should have gone a few rounds later than he did. 

Justin Melo of NFL Draft On SI ranked the Stribling pick as one of the draft's biggest mistakes and offered the following analysis: 

Wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling was a rising prospect throughout the pre-draft process. Still, nobody necessarily expected the San Francisco 49ers to take him at No. 33 overall. It was especially surprising to see Stribling go before Denzel Boston.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan famously brings rookie wideouts along slowly in his offense, so this pick will draw more criticism if Stribling doesn't contribute immediately. 

As Melo mentioned, it was incredibly surprising to see Stribling go with Boston still on the board, considering Boston was thought of as a first-round pick. 

It was also a surprising decision considering Shanahan doesn't utilize rookie pass-catchers a ton. Did the 49ers draft a guy they don't even plan on using much in 2026? As Melo pointed out, if Stribling does take a while to get going, this pick will only look worse. 

Can Stribling prove doubters wrong? 

It's a bit unfair to Stribling that his selection has been criticized so much. It's not like Stribling is a bad player, he was just taken way earlier than anyone expected and the 49ers don't seem like the best fit for a developmental receiver. 

In 2025 with Ole Miss, Stribling played in 15 games and caught 55 passes for 811 yards and six touchdowns. Before that season, Stribling spent two years at Washington State and two at Oklahoma State. 

In total, Stribling caught 216 passes for 2,964 yards and 23 touchdowns during his college career. The receiver has a big frame and can routinely come down with 50/50 balls. He's not a burner, but he is quick enough and got open pretty easily against tough SEC competition. 

In San Francisco, Stribling will compete with Mike Evans, Christian Kirk, and Ricky Pearsall for snaps. 

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