49ers scouts rave about team's top pick, why he earned 'gold helmet'

There was an immediate uproar when the San Francisco 49ers called wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling's name with the No. 33 pick in the NFL draft. It was a 'reach' according to most NFL draft analysts, but 49ers scouts pushed back on that idea in a conversation with NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco.

Wide receiver was one of the 49ers' top needs in this year's draft, and they moved back twice to get out of the first round. In the process they landed the top pick of the second round where they selected Stribling ahead of a handful of WRs ranked ahead of him by the NFL draft analyst consensus.

It made sense. He played five college seasons for three different schools, never eclipsed 900 receiving yards in a season, and only cleared 100 yards once in the 2025 season. For the 49ers, there was more to the selection than his stats. They were eyeing intangibles.

"Gold helmet is everything," vice president of player personnel Tariq Ahmad told Maiocco. "And he checked all those boxes. He’s kind of a unique guy. When he transferred in, I’m not certain that Ole Miss knew the quality and caliber of person and player they had early on. Our scouts loved him right away. Our coach loved him right away. Leadership. Goal-oriented. The passion the guy has, the work ethic, the toughness, the durability. He checks all those boxes at a high level.”

Those are the kinds of qualities that could allow Stribling to become the rare rookie wide receiver to get significant playing time out of the gate, which is what the 49ers need in a top-heavy receiving corps headlined by Mike Evans and Ricky Pearsall.

While analysts often focus heavily on tape and production and measurables, 49ers assistant general manager RJ Gillen said Stribling moved up their board as they talked to people about him as a teammate and player.