One year ago, who would’ve thought wide receiver would be a position of need for the San Francisco 49ers? With Brandon Aiyuk a lock to be cut or traded, Jauan Jennings a free agent, and Ricky Pearsall’s injury concerns, the 49ers addressed the position early in the second round by selecting Ole Miss WR De’Zhaun Stribling. Could he make an immediate fantasy football impact?
Is De’Zhaun Stribling the Biggest Reach in the 2026 NFL Draft So Far?
Stribling was outside the top 180 on both PFSN College Football Analysts Jacob Infante and Ian Cummings’ Big Boards. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say he has been the biggest reach of the 2026 NFL Draft so far. He was widely projected to be a Day 3 selection, but instead, he was one of the first names off the board on Day 2.
The 49ers get a D- for taking De’Zhaun Stribling at No. 33. 📊
He was projected as a Day 3 selection on PFSN’s Big Board. pic.twitter.com/oMErHti4AG
— PFSN (@PFSN365) April 24, 2026
With that said, there are some positives on Stribling’s profile. He has good size and speed, standing at 6’2″, 207 pounds, and posting a 94th percentile speed score. He’s also coming off a 2025 college season in which he racked up 55 catches for 811 yards and 6 touchdowns in 15 appearances with Ole Miss.
Stribling was a relevant producer from an early age, but didn’t really start to blossom until his fourth and fifth seasons, which is always a red flag. Nevertheless, joniing Kyle Shanahan’s fantasy friendly offensive system is about as good of a landing spot as we could’ve asked for.
What to Expect from De’Zhaun Stribling in Fantasy Football
Stribling will be a tough player to analyze in most fantasy formats since he’s a wideout who wasn’t seen as a prospect ready to make an immediate impact at the NFL level. However, he’s landed in a great spot on an offense that projects to be top 10 in the league.
With Brock Purdy under center and an uncertain pass-catching depth chart between Perasall’s injury issues and George Kittle’s recovery from a torn achilles, Stribling could make a case to have a larger-than-expected role right away. At the same time, this is still a player whose draft capital widely outpaces his talent profile. Historically, these types of reaches rarely work out.
Stribling is going to shoot up dynasty rookie boards because he has to. In an underwhelming draft class, the fact that Stribling earned early second round draft capital and went to a good offense has to vault him above a number of prospects who were expected to be Day 2 picks well ahead of him. Given the lack of superior alternatives, dynasty managers may be better off betting on draft capital with Stribling and hoping for the best.
