49ers' draft pick considered one of the biggest reaches over 11 years

The San Francisco 49ers have been criticized for their draft selections in recent years, but the 2026 class is getting a lot of heat for how early John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan picked them.

Perhaps the one earning the most hate is receiver De'Zhaun Stribling, whom the 49ers took with the first pick of the second round at No. 33 overall. Stribling was considered a Day 2 or Day 3 prospect, but not many expected him to be the first player off the board on Saturday.

According to NFL data expert Jack Lichtenstein, the Stribling selection was one of the biggest reaches since 2016. The Stribling pick ranked eighth since 2016 in draft capital spent over expected, based on actual selection versus the consensus big board. The only players ranked ahead of Stribling in the past 11 drafts were all first round picks: Terrell Edmunds, Tytus Howard, Jack Conklin, Cole Strange, Eli Apple, Clelin Ferrell and Artie Burns.

Now, those players had solid, if not great, NFL careers. Some are still in the NFL. But the fact remains that, by and large, these players could have been taken later if teams were willing to wait.