No one was expecting that. The San Francisco 49ers shocked the NFL world with the wild selection of Mississippi WR De’Zhaun Stribling with the 33rd pick. The 49ers could have used some receiver help and went out to get it early in the second round, but it wasn’t any of the receivers that were expected to be off the board early on day two. Take a look at what the NFL world had to say about this selection.
NFL World Reacts to 49ers’ Shocking Pick to Kick Off Second Round
The NFL world is completely floored that the 49ers would select Stribling. It was likely that the wideout wouldn’t even be selected on the second night, but instead, he’s the first name off the board in the second round. 49ers GM John Lynch is under some serious heat for making a major reach on Stribling.
“JOHN LYNCH WHAT THE F**K DUDE,” said a 49ers social media personality.
JOHN LYNCH WHAT THE FUCK DUDE https://t.co/s4U1LnP52X
— trev (@BayAreaTrev) April 24, 2026
“Dude…,” added another 49ers social media personality, Jason Aponte, on X.
Dude… https://t.co/CbwjF8uVId
— Jason Aponte (@JasonAponte2103) April 24, 2026
This was a big reach by San Francisco, and they are being lit up on social media. Stribling could turn out to be a great player, but with others on the board, the 49ers are facing the heat.
The NFL world is simply laying into the 49ers for reaching on Stribling. “I mean, that’s early for Stribling. Wow,” said Mike Giardi.
“That feels high for Stribling. At least for me,” said NFL analyst Marcus Mosher.
That feels high for Stribling. At least for me.
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) April 24, 2026
Others also went after head coach Kyle Shanahan for the selection. Shanahan hasn’t always drafted exactly as the big board rankings fall, and Stribling is an example of his draft strategy, along with Lynch.
“You thought Kyle Shanahan changed?” said 49ers reporter Grant Cohn.
You thought Kyle Shanahan changed?
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) April 24, 2026
Their division rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, caught plenty of heat for selecting QB Ty Simpson with the No. 13 pick when already having Matthew Stafford. Simpson reportedly never met Rams head coach Sean McVay before being selected. Now, the 49ers have apparently one-upped their rivals. Stribling hasn’t met either Lynch or Shanahan, according to Grant Cohn.
“De’Zhaun Stribling just said he has never met John Lynch or Kyle Shanahan. This is worse than the Ty Simpson pick,” said Cohn.
De’Zhaun Stribling just said he has never met John Lynch or Kyle Shanahan.
This is worse than the Ty Simpson pick.
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) April 24, 2026
Stribling is going to have his work cut out for him to live up to his No. 33 pick standards. Although it was not his fault that he went that high, the 49ers will be expecting big things out of the second-round receiver. He never reached 1,000 receiving yards in any collegiate season, but tallied 800+ in his last two seasons.
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Stribling will be an intriguing weapon alongside Mike Evans and Ricky Pearsall on the San Francisco offense, which ranked 4th in the league last season, according to PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
