49ers debate: What constitutes a 'reach' in the draft?

The San Francisco 49ers have been roundly criticized for, in the minds of many, "reaching" for a number of their draft picks. The most often cited are their first three: wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling, edge rusher Romello Height, and running back Kaelon Black.

I wrote an article that talked about the importance of scheme and draft positioning. When Stribling and Height were picked, pundits said some version of "I like the player, but," with the qualifier always being where the player was drafted, not whether he would star for the 49ers. The assertion was always two-fold:

• Stribling is a good player
• Stribling should have been drafted later

The assumption is that the player would have been available at that later pick. Sometimes that is most certainly the case. I firmly believe the Niners' third-round pick, Black, would have been available when they picked next, and probably the pick after that.

But even if another team had taken him, not getting Black would not have been a great loss. He will not start as long as running back Christian McCaffrey is healthy, and it is unclear whether Black will even be the number two player on the depth chart.

Stribling and Height, however, are expected to play important roles this coming year because of weaknesses at their respective positions. Stribling will compete—serious, legitimate competition—for the WR3 role and maybe even the WR2 role. But it is more than that.

Would Stribling have been available later?

In the past few days, new information has been coming to light.

On the Bay Area radio station 957 The Game, analyst Greg Cosell said he studied Stribling's 2025 game film from the University of Mississippi and saw not only an "outstanding size-speed profile" but also, going back to the 2024 tape, saw him in a different-style offense at Oklahoma State.

Cosell's judgment, after seeing close to 200 targets, was that Stribling looked "refined as a route runner." Cosell also shared that a coach who has been in the league for 35 years preferred San Francisco's new wideout to Makai Lemon. This flies in the face of the judgment of most talking heads—but should get the Faithful excited.

And on the same show, former NFL defensive back and current analyst Bucky Brooks said that Stribling was "catching a lot of heat leading into the draft," meaning a lot of interest and chatter. Two position coaches even told Brooks that Stribling "was coming off the board shortly after the Niners picked" if they had not taken him.

At the time John Lynch selected Stribling with pick 33, the Niners' next selection was at 58. That's twenty-four spots and twenty-four teams, in between. Of those, two took wide receivers, and of the rest, ESPN said more than 10 needed one.

It sounds as if there was no likelihood Stribling would have lasted to San Francisco's next pick. At what point would it be considered not a reach?

Head coach Kyle Shanahan talked about the difficulty in choosing a player who might be ranked lower than the draft pick supposedly warrants: "If you're going to take someone who you think's the best player but you don't think they're going to go until like 15 picks later, 20 picks later, it's always a huge risk because you never find out when they're going to go if you take them there."

This would seem to apply to Stribling, whether Shanahan was actually referring to him or not.

The critics' suggestion seems to be that the Niners should not have wanted him so badly that they took him 24 spots too early. That says to me the prognosticators do not spend much time taking scheme and other variables into account. To them, a ranking is a ranking, and the person highest on their board should be drafted over all others.

Romello Height: When does "value" begin?

There were numerous multi-round mock drafts in which the 49ers took Height with their third pick, which at the time was late in the fourth round. The explanation, whether stated directly or implied, was that Height would be an excellent fit for San Francisco's defense.

If Lynch had waited until the fourth and still been able to get him, the pick would probably have been praised. But if he is a great fit and will upgrade the pass rush, why risk it? All teams would say that getting a starter or major contributor—at any position—in the third round is a great value selection.

The Faithful have seen players taken in the third round who have flamed out (kicker Jake Moody, wideout Danny Gray), shown great promise (cornerback Upton Stout, guard Dominick Puni), and dominated the league (linebacker Fred Warner). We may have a good idea early in the season of what trajectory Height's career will have.

One thing that Lynch says they draft for is character.

"The NFL's hard. It's tough. It's long. It's tiresome," he said. "You're going to be challenged, and who has the mental fortitude, the mental toughness to fight through that?"

The 49ers are known for having a tight-knit locker room. The veterans lead, both verbally and by example. The squad's cohesiveness is talked about throughout the league.

If these players have what it takes to stay the course, what round they were taken in will be irrelevant.