Not public until after the NFL Draft, the 49ers are apparently going to be without up-and-coming safety Malik Mustapha for a while.
Then-rookie safety Malik Mustapha was one of the few good stories emanating from the San Francisco 49ers' otherwise frustrating 2024 campaign.
And it appears as if he'll be absent from the team for a while.
Not long after the 2025 NFL Draft concluded, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Mustapha suffered a torn ACL in the Niners' regular-season finale, an injury that pretty much rules the former Wake Forest standout from being able to start the 2025 season this upcoming September:
Delayed but significant injury news: 49ers safety Malik Mustapha, who was believed to be the replacement for free-agent safety loss Talanoa Hufanga, tore his ACL during San Francisco’s regular-season finale and is not expected to be ready for the start of the 2025 season. pic.twitter.com/vVkmdnbNPN
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 27, 2025
Mustapha appeared to make All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga expendable, thanks to the former's hard-hitting ways and knack for being a playmaker. So, it made sense when San Francisco let the latter walk in free agency, knowing it had Mustapha ready to step into a sizable role as part of the 49ers' increasingly younger secondary.
Now, that outlook changes dramatically.
49ers were forced to pivot in NFL Draft because of Malik Mustapha injury
Given the injury occurred back in January, the 49ers clearly knew about it. But, since their season came to a close, they weren't required to report the injury as part of a lead-up to the following week's game.
The Niners onboarded safety Richie Grant during free agency, but he figured to be more of a special teams contributor, leaving veteran George Odum and third-year pro Ji'Ayir Brown as the presumed starters, particularly in light of Mustapha's setback.
However, San Francisco grabbed Kansas State safety Marques Sigle in Round 5 of the 2025 NFL Draft, which seemed reminiscent of the Mustapha move a year ago.
At that moment, it appeared as if Sigle would merely be a quality reserve piece who'd potentially compete with Brown for a spot on the depth chart.
Now, Sigle might occupy a much more significant role if Mustapha is unavailable for a lengthy period of time.
It's not yet clear just how bad the tear was or just how much time the hard-hitting defensive back will miss.
But, one thing is for certain: The 49ers would have much preferred if Mustapha avoided the injury altogether and was allowed to continue his maturation in year two as part of a revamped defense.