HS coach lauds 49ers draft pick Stribling. ‘Tough and he does not back down’
Many people were surprised when the San Francisco 49ers used their second round 2026 NFL Draft choice on Friday to select Ole Miss wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling.
Even Stribling’s coach at Kapolei High School in Hawaii, Darren Hernandez, didn’t see it coming.
In a phone interview Friday evening, not long after Stribling was selected 33rd overall, Hernandez said he’d had a Zoom session before the draft with the Los Angeles Rams and that the Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers had also called him or sent letters.
But Hernandez hadn’t had any pre-draft contact with the 49ers. “I guess they kept things close to the vest,” Hernandez said.
All the same, Hernandez knows what the 49ers are getting in Stribling, who was one of three selections the 49ers made Friday during the second and third rounds of the draft after trading out of the first round on Thursday. They followed this with four fourth round selections and one fifth round pick on Saturday.
No. 33 pick: De’Zhaun Stribling, wide receiver, Ole Miss
Prior to the second round on Friday, the 49ers flirted with trading the No. 33 pick, which was the first of the day. And while it wasn’t a complete shock they would draft a wide receiver, some mock drafts had them opting for Washington’s Denzel Boston at the position.
Hernandez was used to having his perspective changed on Stribling, though. He remembered what Stribling was like as a freshman at Kapolei: unfocused, unserious and immature. Things changed the following year.
“As a sophomore this light went on where he just absolutely became this driven young man who just takes no prisoners in his approach to sports,” Hernandez said.
Stribling became a three-sport star in high school — a leading rebounder for the basketball team and competing in long, triple and high jump on the track and field team.
After high school, Stribling was set to play for Nick Rolovich at University of Hawaii. Hernandez said that after Rolovich went to Washington State, Stribling decided to play there as well.
Stribling transferred to Oklahoma State after Rolovich was fired from Washington State following his refusal to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine. Following two seasons with Oklahoma State, Stribling played his final year at Ole Miss, where he had 55 receptions, 811 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
Hernandez said that Stribling has an infectious smile and personality that draws people to him. Stribling did his virtual press conference for the 49ers from Hawaii, telling reporters that he was “very excited to be here, very excited to come in and work.” Hernandez noted that Stribling had been by his high school this week and worked out and spoke with the boys.
In general, though, Stribling’s warmth stops on game day. “He’s a mellow dude and then once he gets the pads on, he plays like a real animal,” Hernandez said. “He’s tough, and he does not back down from anybody.”
Hernandez sees Stribling fitting in on the 49ers, noting that his 4.36-second 40-yard dash time compared favorably with other members of the receiving corps. “He’s a speed guy,” Hernandez said. “He can block. He can do it all.”
During a media session Friday evening, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan made note of Stribling’s blocking abilities as well. He noted that Jauan Jennings, who could depart as a free agent, has also been a capable blocker.
“We have a hole without that,” Shanahan told reporters. “So this guy definitely can fill that.”
No. 70 pick: Romello Height, edge rusher, Texas Tech
While many onlookers had little certainty about who the 49ers would select Friday, Romello Height had a feeling throughout the week that he was coming to San Francisco.
While he wasn’t sure if it would be the Indianapolis Colts or San Francisco drafting him, as he told reporters during his introductory press conference Friday, he’d had a dream with 49ers team colors. He was thankful that San Francisco followed through on picking him.
“Look at God,” said Height, who emphasized his religious faith during the call with reporters.
Height, who played for four colleges, could be bringing versatility to a 49ers defense. While he was described in predraft coverage as a defensive lineman, he said during the call with reporters that he was also capable of playing the mike or outside linebacker positions.
“I see myself putting on some pounds,” Height said.
He also noted that he was a cousin of late Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, with Height telling reporters that he “looked up to him like no other.” Thomas died in 2021 at age 33.
Height lasted until the 70th pick of the draft, with 49ers general manager John Lynch telling reporters Friday evening that even when the team traded down just before from the 58th pick, they hadn’t settled on Height. But he also praised Height.
“We feel like Romello is at the top of this draft in terms of the effort, the tenacity, the relentlessness with which he plays,” Lynch said.
No. 90 pick: Kaelon Black, running back, Indiana
With the sheer number of players who are chosen in the NFL draft or are signed as undrafted free agents each year, perhaps not every player will get loads of attention from teams.
One player who didn’t have this experience: new 49ers running back, Kaelon Black. Asked during his introductory press conference how many times he’d been called or texted by Robert Turner Jr., San Francisco’s longtime running backs coach, Black replied with a laugh, “I can’t even put a number to it.”
After trading down out of the first round through two trades on Thursday and securing a third round selection in one of the deals, the 49ers used the pick on Black. He ran for 1,040 yards this past season in helping Indiana win a national championship.
“His film speaks for itself,” Lynch told reporters Friday evening. “Really hard-running kid.”
Lynch said that Black was Turner’s type of player.
Black grew up in Virginia and spent four years at James Madison University before playing for Indiana his final two seasons. With the 49ers, Black joins a crowded running back room with an uncertain backup situation for star Christian McCaffrey. Not that Black minds any of that, though.
“I just feel like being under a guy like him is going to be special,” Black said.
No. 107 pick: Gracen Halton, defensive tackle, Oklahoma
For their first pick on Saturday, the 49ers looked to defensive tackle, selecting Gracen Halton.
Halton played all four seasons for Oklahoma, finishing his collegiate career with 84 tackles and 8.5 sacks, according to his Sooners Sports bio. He was never a consistent starter in Oklahoma, logging 10 starts against 47 appearances total and making his most starts, seven, in his senior season.
Along with third-round draft choice and Texas Tech edge rusher Romello Height, who San Francisco chose 70th overall on Friday, Halton joins a 49ers defense that suffered after losing Nick Bosa to a season-ending injury in 2025. Last year’s first round selection Mykel Williams was also lost to injury and Bryce Huff has retired, meaning both Halton and Height could get early chances to prove their mettle.
“I didn’t expect the 49ers but it’s a blessing,” Halton told reporters Saturday following his selection.
Halton boasts some combination of size and speed for a defensive tackle, with 4.82-second 40-yard dash while standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 292 pounds. Sports Illustrated also noted that his vertical jump of 36.5 inches was tops among defensive tackles.
No. 127 pick: Carver Willis, offensive tackle, Washington
That the 49ers will need an offensive tackle at some point in the next few years to replace soon-to-be 38-year-old Trent Williams is no secret.
One potential option in the succession planning: Carver Willis, taken by the 49ers with their second pick of the fourth round on Saturday.
“I knew I was on their radar but I had no idea they were about to take me,” Willis said in a call with reporters Saturday. He noted that he’d met the 49ers offensive line coach a couple of times.
Willis spent four years at Kansas State and played his final season for Washington. His ESPN draft card rates him at the 206th-best prospect, suggesting the 49ers drafted for positional need rather than taking the best available player.
Willis’ coach at Durango High School, Dave Vogt praised his athleticism and versatility.
“If we would have had more linemen, he could have been a tight end,” Vogt said in a phone interview with The Bee. “We just needed him to play that tackle position for us.”
Vogt added that in middle school, Willis had been a quarterback.
Mike Sutter, who was Willis’ offensive line coach at Durango, was struck by his footwork. “His feet were unbelievable,” Sutter told The Bee. “He was really explosive with his hands and had really good placement.”
Sutter sees guard or center as a superior NFL option for Willis. “He could probably do okay at tackle, but I think he would definitely fit better interior,” Sutter said.
No. 139 pick: Ephesians Prysock, cornerback, Washington
The 49ers followed their selection of Willis by trading the No. 133 pick to the Baltimore Ravens for the No. 154 pick and a sixth round selection in the 2027 draft.
And then they looked to the Huskies once more, using the 139th pick on Ephesians Prysock.
In a conference call with reporters after his selection, Willis offered a hint as to why the 49ers could have a pipeline to the Huskies. “A lot of the coaches at Washington have deep relationships with the 49ers and they model a lot of what we did at Washington off of the 49ers,” Willis said.
In Prysock, the 49ers will get a 6-3, 196-pound corner who spent his first two years at Arizona before transferring to Washington. ESPN had Prysock as the 158th-best prospect overall, saying he could “set the edge” when defending the run.
In a call with reporters following his selection, Prysock said that Willis was someone he was fond of. Prysock also indicated that he was familiar with 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, a fifth round pick out of Oregon in 2021, who Prysock said played in high school with his two older brothers.
Prysock noted that he’d had a Zoom call with the 49ers, though this wasn’t the only team he talked to. Asked to describe his play, Prysock described himself as a versatile player with “the skillset to be one of the greatest corners.”
No. 154 pick: Jaden Dugger, linebacker, Louisiana
The mid-late rounds of the NFL draft are when names can come out of seemingly nowhere. To wit, the 49ers drafted Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns linebacker Jaden Dugger with their first pick of the fifth round and 154th overall selection of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Dugger was ranked as the 365th-best overall prospect by ESPN and was tabbed as the 25th-best linebacker in a New York Times special draft section.
In a call with reporters, Dugger acknowledged his safety experience and ability to provide pass coverage. “A lot of people my size wouldn’t be comfortable in those situations, but I am,” Dugger said.
No. 179: Enrique Cruz Jr., offensive tackle, Kansas
One round after drafting offensive tackle Carver Willis, who could wind up playing guard in the pros, San Francisco used its final pick of the fifth round on Enrique Cruz Jr., an offensive tackle out of Kansas.
At 6-foot-5 and 313 pounds, Cruz is about the average size of a tackle. ESPN described him as being “good when getting to the edge and climbing to the second level, showing a lightness on his feet.”
Speaking to reporters after being drafted, Cruz elaborated on his style of play and how it would help him in the NFL.
“I do what I have to do,” Cruz said. “I hustle all the time. With everything I do, I’m always trying to finish the play and I’m going to do whatever it takes to finish the play.”
This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
