How Great Can This Second-Year Safety Be?
Second-year safety Malik Mustapha was drafted in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the 49ers with the 124th overall selection. His college production at Wake Forest was impressive as he recorded 80 combined tackles in his junior season for the Demon Deacons. However, he was never truly noticed until he stood out last offseason during rookie minicamp and training camp before he ever stepped foot on an NFL field. Once the regular season began, the 49ers knew what they had in Mustapha and were just waiting for the correct time to gift him the keys as the leader of the safety group. That time came in Week Four against the New England Patriots as, excluding mid-game injuries, he played 45-plus defensive snaps each game for the rest of the season.
His highlight stretch during his rookie campaign came in Week Six and Week Seven, where he secured his first career interception in a divisional victory against the Seattle Seahawks and collected his first career double-digit tackle game in a Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs. Mustapha gave opposing offenses trouble as his quick twitch and keen ability to identify plays resulted in many heavy-hitting tackles. He was a true pinball, not shying away from contact and arriving at the ball in a hurry. Whether in coverage or run support, he found ways to remain impactful.
Developing consistency and showing flashes is what coaches want to see from a rookie safety. Mustapha was relied upon to stay active on every single down, and it was rewarding for San Francisco to see their early day three pick making positive splash plays on defense. Mustapha will need to continue to develop his discipline and level of aggressiveness, as there were some situations where his mistakes hurt the defense by not making the simple read. However, for a fourth-round pick, he displayed plenty of potential for the 49ers organization to be optimistic about, while they are developing a competent safety corps. The team’s track record with developing safeties reaches back decades, and I wouldn’t doubt Mustapha developing into those levels of players.
Although Mustapha is recovering right now from an ACL injury he suffered in the final week of last season, he seems to be making big strides in his recovery as he’s been seen consistently rehabbing at the team facility throughout the offseason. During his absence, players like Ji’Ayir Brown will hope to produce a bounce-back third season after a sophomore slump. When Mustapha returns, there is nothing to measure how his energetic play style and presence will be felt throughout the locker room and on defense. He recorded 72 combined tackles in his rookie season and should only build off those statistics the remainder of his career with the 49ers.
