49ers take Ole Miss WR De’Zhaun Stribling with No. 33 pick in 2026 NFL Draft (paywall)
“Ted Nguyen’s analysis: De’Zhaun Stribling is a perfect fit for Kyle Shanahan. There were rumors the 49ers wanted to keep trading down, and now, we see why. Stribling is a bit of a reach, but it’s clear to see what the 49ers are envisioning with him. He’s an excellent run blocker and averaged more yards after the catch (7.3) than Omar Cooper Jr. He can be a supercharged version of Jauan Jennings who can win deep with physicality.
Matt Barrows: The 49ers had a distinct lack of yards after the catch in 2025, finishing 28th in the league in that category. That’s Stribling’s specialty. He averaged 7.3 YAC per reception last season, one of the best marks in the nation. Stribling’s 40-yard dash time obviously caught the team’s eye. More than that, however, is his ability to maintain that speed after the catch, an asset in a 49ers passing attack that is heavy on crossing patterns and throws across the middle.”
5 things to know about 49ers second-round pick WR De’Zhaun Stribling
“Stribling took a long road to the 49ers. After spending time in North Carolina as a youth, Stribling moved to Hawaii, where he was a three-star prospect at Kapolei High School.”
New 49ers WR De’Zhaun Stribling discusses being drafted
“”Yeah, I haven’t really had a favorite NFL team, growing up in Hawaii, but I’ve always liked watching [Los Angeles Rams WR] Puka Nacua’s game. I’m a big fan of him and also loved watching [Pittsburgh Steelers WR] DK [Metcalf] growing up. So, very excited to be in the league now and compete with all these guys and also learn from them.”
Why the 49ers drafted a running back in the 3rd round again
“Christian McCaffrey led the NFL in touches in 2023 and 2025. He turns 30 in June. There’s no way you should be surprised by Kyle Shanahan taking a running back. It’s Year 10. This is what he does.
Black finished fourth in this class in Boom percentage (passing or rushing plays that result in an EPA of +1) and positive percentage (plays that result in positive EPA). It was painfully obvious that Shanahan did not trust Brian Robinson Jr. last year because he left a ton of meat on the bone as a runner. Those numbers tell us Black won’t have those same issues.”
5 things to know about 49ers third-round pick Romello Height
“It’s crazy,” Height told reporters after he was drafted. “I had a dream about it. I had a dream about it. It wasn’t actually the Niners, but it was the Niners’ colors. And man, look at God.”
Even if he hadn’t seen it in his dreams, the interest the 49ers had in Height thinking he could receive a call from general manager John Lynch on draft day.
“It’s not a surprise,” Height said. “I kind of felt it. I’ve just been having that feeling all week that it was going to be the 49ers. I was telling my agent the whole time that it was either going to either be the Colts or Niners. Thank God it was the Niners.”
49ers draft RB Kaelon Black in Round 3, a familiar move from Kyle Shanahan
“Nick Baumgardner grades the pick: Not a big fan of this. Black was a very effective one-cut back for Cignetti’s Indiana offense, but he was a system player. He’s almost 25, he’s small, and there were better running back options on the board for me, including Mike Washington and Emmett Johnson. Even Navy gadget back Eli Heidenreich intrigues me more than Black.
Grade: C+
Matt Barrows: Black is the kind of one-cut runner the 49ers have looked for in the past, and he excelled at the longer runs that were missing from San Francisco’s offense last season. More than half of his rushing yards last season came after contact. Like fellow third-round pick Romello Height, Black will be 25 during the coming season. He is more than two years older than Jordan James, whom the 49ers took in the fifth round last year.”
John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan review 49ers’ Day 2 draft picks; Romello Height, Kaelon Black address reporters
“Well, I think we’re getting a guy who loves the game. We did have a nice visit. He met with, these poor guys, they’re asked who they met with. They meet with a lot of people. When we bring them in, we take them over to TopGolf. And Romello actually came before the TopGolf thing because he had a schedule conflict, but Romello, we had a tremendous visit. He met with K.J., he met with [defensive line coach Kris] Kocurek, he met with a lot of people, met with Kyle and I, and handled himself really well.”
5 things to know about 49ers third-round pick RB Kaelon Black
Black had a visit scheduled with the Cincinnati Bengals, but he wound up getting stuck at the airport in Chicago due to weather. Black slept at the airport, then he rode all the way to Cincinnati early the next morning to make his scheduled meeting.
“I was coming from Vegas on a visit and got stuck in Chicago because a lot of rain,” Black said. “I think Cincinnati was around a five-hour drive away, and the next available flight wasn’t until 1 pm the next day. So I pretty much would have missed the visit. So they were like, ‘Yeah, we’re just going to get you guys an Uber.’ We got in the uber and took the ride, and by this time it was probably like 9, 10 am when we found out we got to Cincinnati. So we were in the airport for a long time, but it’s just a testament to character — just doing whatever, going through whatever to make things happen. And I feel like that’s a character trait I carry in my life as well.”
NFL Draft 2026 best available players for San Francisco 49ers: Jermod McCoy, Justin Joly (paywall)
“Heidenreich is one of the few running backs in the draft with receiver-like qualities, which ought to appeal to Shanahan. His level of competition in college was suspect, though he held up very well at the East-West Shrine Bowl in January.”
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