PFF grades Malik Mustapha's preseason Week 1 efforts lower than you'd think

One would think Malik Mustapha would earn top Pro Football Focus marks after his preseason debut last Saturday, but that's not the case.

San Francisco 49ers rookie safety Malik Mustapha arguably generated more hype than any of his other teammates during the Niners' Week 1 preseason loss against the Tennessee Titans.

And while Mustapha was all over the field for much of the first half, there was one particular play where he truly made his impact felt.

Quite literally.

On a goal-line stand, with Tennessee looking to convert on 4th-and-short, Mustapha rocketed from deep in the end zone to stop Titans running back Hassan Haskins. And while the officials declared a first down on the field, upon further review, the first-down call was overturned, and Tennessee turned the ball over on downs:

Thanks to Mustapha.

That play sent shockwaves around San Francisco's fanbase, and it generates plenty of excitement about the fourth-round NFL draftee's future.

So, of course, the folks over at Pro Football Focus had to give the rookie some lofty game grades, right?

Well, not so fast.

Pro Football Focus downplays Malik Mustapha's preseason Week 1 effort

Combing through PFF's player-by-player grades for the exhibition contest, one takes a look at Mustapha's 57.8 overall defensive grade and has to wonder, "why?"

It's a good question.

Mustapha had three tackles in the game and was targeted twice in coverage, not allowing a single completion, per PFF. He wasn't credited with a missed tackle, a problem for the 49ers defense throughout the game, nor was he flagged for any penalty.

Granted, PFF's grades aren't the gospel, and it's merely an interpretive tool used by their analysts who don't exactly know what the coverage is supposed to be and who's assigned to who.

That said, one might expect Mustapha to receive higher grades than the one he got for his efforts.

At least PFF rewarded Mustapha with a very-good 81.7 tackling grade, no doubt influenced by that hard-hitting highlight-reel play.

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