Although it's fair to be critical of how poorly the San Francisco 49ers have drafted in recent years, it's not fair to bury their 2026 NFL Draft class before it has the chance to get on the field.
The 49ers' process might be flawed, and they might have made mistakes, but we won't know for sure for another 3-5 years. The most highly-contested pick the 49ers made is their top selection -- Ole Miss wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling. The 49ers have had to completely remodel their receiver position in recent years after looking stacked at one point with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Jauan Jennings.
After signing Mike Evans in NFL Free Agency, a recent pro comparison for Stribling might make the 49ers seem like geniuses before too long.
De'Zhaun Stribling could compare favorably to Chris Godwin for San Francisco 49ers
The comparison that's been thrown out there for Stribling is to Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin when he was coming out of Penn State. And the measurement comparisons are very compelling:
"Mike Evans might look across the formation and see a player who reminds him of his old running mate in Tampa Bay, Chris Godwin Jr. San Francisco's second-round receiver, Ole Miss' De'Zhaun Stribling, compared favorably to Godwin when he was coming out of Penn State, from weight (207 to 209) to 40 time (4.36 to 4.42), vertical jump (identical 36 inches) and broad jump (10-feet-7 to 10-6)."
- Jeremy Fowler, ESPN
Even if the Stribling pick hasn't been overly well-received in the immediate aftermath of this draft class, it's possible that the 49ers could soon be vindicated. Stribling has a lot going for him physically and athletically, and it's not like the 49ers have never been able to develop skill talent.
To be fair, though, the hit rate has been low in recent years.
Just like Chris Godwin coming out, one of Stribling's best assets is his ability to create yardage after the catch. He averaged over 7 yards after the catch per reception last year at Ole Miss and showed off strong hands as well (less than 2 percent drop rate).
The 49ers aren't going to be able to capture the exact same magic the Bucs once did when they initially paired up Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but they could achieve something similar with Evans still very obviously able to take the top off of a defense and win vertically.
Stribling offers the 49ers a great immediate replacement for Jauan Jennings in their offense, and might profile more in the former Brandon Aiyuk role when all is said and done.
It's easy to be critical of picks in the moment, and maybe the criticism is right, but the 49ers needed to add another weapon for Brock Purdy and the pressure will be on Stribling to prove them right.
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