De’Zhaun Stribling comes from a family of greatness.
Stribling, who was selected by the 49ers in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, is the nephew of professional wrestling legend Don “The Rock” Muraco.
Muraco, 76, spent nearly three decades in professional wrestling, including six years in the WWF in the 1980s.
He held the WWF’s Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship twice, along with being the inaugural winner of the King of the Ring tournament in 1985.
Muraco was inducted into the WWE Fall of Fame class of 2004 and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014.
Stribling’s selection at No. 33 marks San Francisco’s first pick of this year’s draft after trading down twice on Thursday night.
The 23-year-old was a standout at Ole Miss in 2025 after spending time with Washington State and Oklahoma State.
In 15 games with Ole Miss last year, Stribling racked up 811 receiving yards and six touchdowns while helping the Rebels reach a 13-2 record.
Stribling marks yet another addition to the 49ers receiving core this offseason, having already acquired veteran wideouts Mike Evans and Christian Kirk in free agency.
Evans signed a three-year deal worth $60.4 million with San Francisco in March, ending his 12-year run with the Buccaneers.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan lauded the signing, saying that Evans is a future Hall of Fame receiver.
“Mike’s the man. I’ve been able to watch him for so long, like all you guys. To me, he’s definitely a Hall of Famer. He’s as good as it gets, and the way he plays,” Shanahan said at the NFL owners meetings. “I’ve always just liked the competitor in Mike.
“His talent and everything has separated him, but really just how he comes to work every day. Just the people I know who’s with him, the way he is in the building, how important football is to him.”
