49ers Day 2 Draft: WR Stribling, DE Height, RB Black picked; LB Winters dealt
SANTA CLARA — Sift through all the 49ers’ wheeling and dealing and, well, so far they’ve welcomed three players entering the NFL Draft’s third and final day.
Speedy wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling came with the initial pick of Friday’s second round, followed by third-round selections of defensive end Romello Height and running back Kaelon Black.
After trading out of Thursday’s first round with a pair of deals, general manager John Lynch swung more trades Friday. He first sent linebacker Dee Winters to the Cowboys for a fifth-round pick, which then got packaged with a second-round pick (No. 58) to the Browns for high third- and fourth-round picks.
Friday’s selections all came heavily traveled through college. Stribling played at three universities over five seasons, Height went through four programs in six years, and Black played at two colleges over six years.
Saturday’s agenda features a quartet of fourth-round picks and a fifth-rounder.
The speedy Stribling finished out his five-year college career at Ole Miss, after two-year stints at Washington State and then Oklahoma State. A 6-foot-2 native of Kapolei, Hawaii, he ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at February’s scouting combine, and that speed element has been missing from the 49ers’ offensive attack under coach Kyle Shanahan.
Although Stribling anticipated interest from the 49ers, he said he hadn’t been contacted by Shanahan nor general manager John Lynch through the pre-draft process until Friday’s congratulatory call, which Stribling fielded while surrounded by a “little, tight circle” of friends and family on Oahu’s west side.
“Being in Hawaii, this a big thing over here. Everyone is a Niner fan,” Stribling said in a video conference call while donning a red, 49ers cap and a lei around his neck. “So I’m definitely happy to put that hat on and represent over here.”
Stribling’s self-described scouting report: “I'm a very versatile guy and I also block at a high level. I can contribute to the pass game but in the run game also. … (There is) my physicality, my run-after-the-catch, and having reliable hands. All those three things fit into one, to be there for the quarterback and for the team.”
Stribling said he's a big fan of Rams receiver Puka Nacua and the Steelers' DK Metcalf, the latter of whom is also a Mississippi product and trained a bit with Stribling, who said he's also talked some with Watkins, who played at Ole Miss before Stribling's arrival.
Born 30 minutes west of Honolulu on Oahu, Stribling spent part of his childhood in North Carolina and San Diego while his father, Karlos, served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Stribling was in sixth grade when the family returned to Hawaii, and, 10 years ago, he was a 5-foot-6, 150-pound wide receiver about to hit a growth spurt that would mold him into a NFL prospect.
The 49ers are clearly poised for a new era of wide receivers, after several playoff runs were keyed by Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings. Samuel and Jennings are free agents; Aiyuk’s release presumably will come if he no team trades for him this draft.
Stribling joins a corps led by Evans, Kirk and 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall. Also in the mix are veteran Demarcus Robinson and former fourth-round draft picks Jacob Cowing (2024) and Jordan Watkins, the latter of whom got drafted last year out of Ole Miss after clocking a 4.37-second 40 out of Ole Miss then producing just two catches in four games.
Added Stribling: “They have a great offense with a lot of playmakers and guys who can do different things. I'm excited to come in, fit in, and just make my little mark.”
HEIGHT’S GET-OFF WORK
A dozen defensive ends got drafted before the 49ers, at No. 70 overall, called on Height, who transferred three times and spent six seasons in the collegiate ranks.
Working on his explosive “get-off” was the Georgia native’s emphasis as he bounced from Auburn (2020-21) to USC (2022-23) to Georgia Tech (2024) to Texas Tech, where he paired at defensive end last season with No. 2 overall pick David Bailey.
“The get-off was key to my game and something I emphasized when I tried to perfect my craft and hit the lab,” Height said. “It started with my get-off. Every drill started with get-offs. … The get-off is the key to the pass rush. I just emphasized that and continued to work it. I ain't going to say I perfected it but it was a huge deal and I continued to work at it.”
Height (6-foot-2 1/2, 239 pounds) turned 25 on April 13. He had 9 1/2 sacks last season en route to First Team All-Big 12 honors. Joining the 49ers did not come as a surprise.
“I've been having that feeling all week it was going to be the 49ers. I told my agent it'd either be the Colts or the 49ers. Thank god it was the Niners,” Height said. “It's crazy, I had a dream about it. It wasn't exactly the Niners but it was the Niners' colors.”
Height said he’s drawn inspiration from his late cousin, Demaryius Thomas, who played for the Denver Broncos and passed away in 2021.
RUNNING BACK TREND
The 49ers’ dismal history of drafting running backs did not deter them from spending a third-round pick on Black at No. 90 overall. He spent four seasons at James Madison before finishing the past two years at Indiana, where he ran for 1,039 yards and 10 touchdowns last season en route to the national championship.
Previous running backs drafted by this regime: Joe Williams (2017, fourth round), Trey Sermon (2021, third), Ty Davis-Price (2022, third), Isaac Guerendo (2024, fourth), and Jordan James (2025, fifth).
“It’s a dream come true to be in the NFL and with a team I looked up to growing up,” Black said. “… We all know Christian McCaffrey is a 1,000/1,000 guy, easily. Being under a guy like him is going to be special. I’m truly humbled to be able to work with a guy like him, someone I’ve always looked up to, even back to his days at Stanford.”
WINTERS TRADED
Winters started all 17 regular-season games last season, but he became expendable this offseason with Dre Greenlaw’s return as Fred Warner’s sidekick. Winters, a 2023 sixth-round pick, is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
His trade to the Cowboys, for the 152nd overall pick, marks the 49ers’ second deal with that storied rival in the past few years, having also shipped quarterback Trey Lance there in 2023 for a fourth-round pick.
The 49ers’ linebacker corps is their deepest unit, with Warner, Greenlaw, Tatum Bethune, Luke Gifford, Garrett Wallow and Jalen Graham.
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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 4:28 PM.