Ole Miss WR De'Zhaun Stribling selected by the San Francisco 49ers in 2026 NFL Draft

The first Ole Miss player has come off the board in this year’s NFL Draft with De’Zhaun Stribling hearing his named called on Friday.

Stribling was taken as the first pick of the second round by the San Francisco 49ers. He was the 33rd overall pick.

According to Spotrac, the slot value is set at $13.376 million over four years and $2.432 million in Stribling’s rookie year.

Transferring to Ole Miss ahead of the 2025 season after two season at Oklahoma State, Stribling finished as the Rebels second-leading receiver with 55 catches for 811 yards and a a team-high six touchdowns.

Stribling started his career in Washington State where he played two seasons before transferring to Stillwater ahead of the 2023 season.

“Long-striding, vertical-access wideout with steady play and production. Stribling has good size and early acceleration to climb over the top of coverage but lacks short-area quickness to gain separation underneath,” NFL analyst Lance Zierlen said of Stribling. “His downfield ball skills are above average but he struggles to consistently carve out catch space and fight through contested-catch contact for tight-coverage wins. He has legit speed after the catch once he finds open grass. He’s also one of the most competitive run blockers in the WR class. Stribling projects as an immediate WR4 who could eventually work his way into a starting role.”

An head-turning performance at last month’s NFL Scouting Combine helped Stribling shoot up teams draft boards and become a pick away from being a first round draft selection. The 4.36 second 40-yard dash was among some of the best by a wide receiver and all participating players at the combine in Indianapolis.

Stribling joins another former Ole Miss receiver in Jordan Watkins. Watkins was taken by the 49ers as the last pick of the fourth round during the 2025 NFL Draft.