5 burning questions the 49ers are left with after minicamp
By John Porter
Who starts at safety?
It's starting to feel a lot like no one's quite noticed the safety situation for the 49ers.
After some initial buzz over a potential free agent signing, everything quietened down at the position until the drafting of fourth-rounder Malik Mustapha from Wake Forest.
While he has seemingly impressed early, drawing praise from both defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen as well as his position mate Talanoa Hufanga, he's still a rookie, and it's hard to see him landing a starting role right out of the gate.
That complicates things for San Francisco.
Hufanga is still rehabbing last season's ACL tear, and may not even make it back for the beginning of training camp, and outside of him and Ji'Ayir Brown, there really isn't any quantifiable NFL experience on the roster. The nearest would likely be George Odum, but he is most useful to the team as part of the special teams unit, and it certainly wouldn't make most 49ers fans feel good to see him starting in the defensive backfield come Week 1.
This is a key thing to watch coming down the stretch towards, and during, training camp. Any delay in Hufanga's recovery, or any issues faced by Brown or Mustapha, could open the door for a veteran free agent to come in and fortify the position, not unlike Logan Thomas's recent addition to the tight end room.