The 49ers are banking on the physical upside of safety Marques Sigle, taken in the middle of Round 5 of the NFL Draft.
The bulk of the San Francisco 49ers' pickups in free agency earlier this offseason focused on one thing: special teams.
Over the first few rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Niners primarily focused on defense, particularly the front seven, where coordinator Robert Saleh had plenty of influence.
Now, it appears as if special teams coordinator Brant Boyer is having a say on what to do with San Francisco's overlooked third phase of the game, especially after special teams was such a primary weakness in 2023 and 2024.
Plus, getting someone who could boost the back end of the depth chart within the secondary is never a bad idea on day three of the draft.
49ers grab athletic specimen, Marques Sigle in Round 5 of NFL Draft
After using their first of two fifth-round picks on Oregon running back Jordan James, the 49ers shifted back to the defensive side of the ball by grabbing Kansas State safety Marques Sigle.
Sigle, 5-foot-11 and 199 pounds, boasted 60 tackles last season, seven of which were for a loss, to go along with three interceptions and three passes broken up.
However, the former Wildcat's testing numbers certainly stood out at the NFL Combine.
49ers select safety Marques Sigle with their second fifth-round pick.
— Nicholas McGee (@nicholasmcgee24) April 26, 2025
He ran a 4.37 40-yard dash, the fastest of all safeties. pic.twitter.com/s1oqukIPA9
Sigle registered a 4.37 40-yard time, which was the fastest among all safeties participating at the combine. His vertical jump was 38 inches, and his broad jump was 10-foot, 10-inches.
The Niners likely envision Sigle as a special teams contributor early with the long-term hope of developing him into a versatile defensive back who can not only patrol the back end but can also double as a nickel cornerback.
True, San Francisco used a third-round pick on Western Kentucky defensive back Upton Stout.
But, with deficiencies at both cornerback and safety, it wouldn't hurt to find additional depth and to guard against at least one of the two rookie defensive backs from flaming out early.