San Francisco 49ers 2026 second-round pick De’Zhaun Stribling is a reminder not to take stock in which prospects meet with the team prior to the draft.
Stribling answered questions from the media after his selection and noted there wasn’t much in terms of back and forth with the 49ers, just “a little communication”.
That little communication did not include talks with head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch
“I haven’t met with them yet,” Stribling said. “First time hearing from them [the phone call to tell him he was being picked].”
Normally, when draft season starts, there’s a reminder about weighing official visits and pre-draft meetings. The gist is that it’s not the best way to predict where a pick will go when they enter the NFL, even the 49ers.
Well, especially the 49ers. Mike McGlinchey was a top-10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and didn’t have an official visit either. Stribling was picked in the second round with a similar lead-up. It serves as another example that if a draft crush isn’t getting the attention you’d want, meetings are not something to hedge bets on.
Stribling wasn’t projected to go when the 49ers took him, and the pick is lukewarm if you check social media. Then again, he might not have been there when the 49ers picked again. He has some fascinating attributes and some good highlight tape. This is a guy who can benefit from Mike Evans on the roster.
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