5 biggest 49ers takeaways from second week of OTAs

49ers takeaway No. 2: Talanoa Hufanga firms as starting strong safety

While the 49ers inevitably lost some starters to other teams, the one starter the team elected not to sign to an extension was strong safety Jaquiski Tartt.

While they allowed Tartt to walk, the real surprise was the lack of a draft pick used for the position thereafter. Perhaps in hindsight, we shouldn’t have been surprised, however, as second-year defensive back Talanoa Hufanga has been drawing a lot of praise so far this season.

Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans has been full of praise for the young player, with the coach raving on about how Hufanga always hungers to learn and noting the game has “slowed down” for him.

Hufanga has looked relatively promising early on in coverage as well, despite the defense having the odds stacked against them most of the time in these early practices.

The former USC defensive back is by no means is going to be the walk-up starter for the team at the position, but with Ryans so firmly in his corner and the lack of any notable competition outside of Tarvarius Moore and potentially George Odum, it can be safely assumed Hufanga is the early favorite.

We’ll learn more when the pads go on in the heavier practices, but it’ll be interesting to see if Hufanga can be a gem for the team this season.