49ers Draft De’Zhaun Stribling At No. 33

San Francisco entered the draft with the 27th pick, but it arrived at 33 after trading down twice. The 49ers moved to 30th in a deal with the Dolpins and then went down three more spots in a trade with the Jets. General manager John Lynch was open to offers for the 33rd choice, but he instead stayed put and bolstered the 49ers’ receiving corps.

The 6-foot-2, 202-pound Stribling, nephew of WWE Hall of Famer Don “The Rock” Muraco, played at three different schools during a five-year college career. He combined for an impressive 95 catches and 10 touchdowns at Washington State from 2021-22 before transferring to Oklahoma State. A hand injury limited Stribling to four games and 14 catches in 2023, but he bounced back during a 52-reception, 882-yard, six-touchdown showing the next season. Stribling moved on to Ole Miss last year, where he posted similar production (55-811-6).

While Stribling was rarely mentioned among the top receiver prospects during the pre-draft process, his stock rose thanks in part to his performance at the Combine. Stribling ran a 4.36 in the 40-yard dash. Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranked him as the 67th-best prospect in this class heading into the draft, contending he could turn into a No. 2 or 3 receiver in the pros.

Stribling will now join a Mike Evans-led group of 49ers receivers that also includes 2024 first-rounder Ricky Pearsall and slot wideout Christian Kirk in prominent roles. Meanwhile, although Brandon Aiyuk is still under contract, the 49ers remain hopeful they will find a trade partner, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. That has proven difficult after a tumultuous year-plus for Aiyuk. After tearing his ACL and MCL in October, Aiyuk largely stayed away from the team during a lost 2025. The 49ers inked Aiyuk to a four-year, $120MM extension in August 2024, but they voided the remaining guarantees in his contract last July.