49ers roster: 4 young players San Francisco should play more vs. Colts

No. 3: 49ers Safety Talanoa Hufanga

Inclement weather means both San Francisco and Indianapolis are likely to rely much more on the ground game than a pass-heavy offense.

As such, it sure wouldn’t hurt for the 49ers to present more field time to one of their day-three picks from this year’s draft, rookie safety Talanoa Hufanga.

Hufanga, who made plenty of splash plays during training camp and the preseason, hasn’t been featured much on defense this year and understandably so. The Niners have had a clean slate of health for both of their starting safeties, Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt, leading to Hufanga being on the field for just nine percent of all defensive snaps. If anything, Hufanga has merely made his presence felt on special teams only.

But with the Colts wanting to push the offense through running back Jonathan Taylor, who is coming off a 145-yard, two-touchdown rush game last week against the Houston Texans, having some additional safety help would certainly make a big difference.

Hufanga had some excellent run-stopping prowess during his collegiate years at USC, and playing him down in the box as a linebacker-type defender would help guard against big gains from Taylor, who is averaging 5.4 yards per carry this season.

If big-nickel packages are a good way to halt a potent rushing attack, Hufanga needs to see more field time.