Steelers Named One Of Biggest Winners From NFL Draft Day Two
Pittsburgh Steelers Named Major Winners of NFL Draft Day Two
The San Francisco 49ers made three picks on Day 2 of the draft, starting with De'Zhaun Stribling at No. 33, but analysts criticized all selections as major reaches.
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The 49ers made three picks on Day 2 and analysts panned every one originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Following two trades down in Thursday’s round, San Francisco began Day 2 with the 33rd pick and concluded Friday night with three selections made. When the third one arrived, draft analysts were in outright disbelief.
"I have no fucking idea what the San Francisco 49ers are doing in this draft," analyst Chase Senior said. "Three picks, three reaches. It makes no sense."
The initial player was De'Zhaun Stribling, the receiver from Ole Miss. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 207 pounds with a 4.36 forty-yard dash, Stribling boasts an impressive athletic profile, fulfilling the team's genuine need for a wide receiver.
However, selecting him at No. 33 overall was considered a major overreach. Many teams had him available afterward, and there were suggestions that the 49ers had other teams ready to trade up from that position before they made the decision.
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The second pick was Romello Height, an edge rusher from Texas Tech selected at No. 70.
Height played at four different programs over six college seasons. Auburn, USC, Georgia Tech, and Texas Tech. Senior in his disbelief called him a "small twitched-up edge rusher" with one really good year of production, and the age and journey through multiple schools raised questions about what the ceiling actually looks like at the next level.
Analysts criticized the 49ers' Day 2 picks because they viewed all three selections as major reaches, suggesting better options were available.
The 49ers selected De'Zhaun Stribling, a wide receiver from Ole Miss, with the 33rd pick in the draft.
De'Zhaun Stribling is notable for his impressive athletic profile, standing 6-foot-2, weighing 207 pounds, and running a 4.36 forty-yard dash.
Pittsburgh Steelers Named Major Winners of NFL Draft Day Two
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At No. 90, San Francisco closed Day 2 by selecting Kaelon Black, a running back from Indiana. Black won a national title with Indiana as a sixth-year senior but was not invited to the NFL Combine.
Maybe Senior was actually right, running back was not a need for this team. The 49ers had not addressed safety at any point.
San Francisco GM John Lynch insisted after each pick that the selections fit what the organization values. And maybe they do. But the outside consensus Friday night was not kind to some extent, and when three picks in a row all draw the same reaction, the question stops being about any individual choice.