5 safeties 49ers can call upon to replace Talanoa Hufanga, George Odum

The 49ers are without safeties Talanoa Hufanga and George Odum for the rest of the year, meaning they'll need to add at least one more to the 53-man roster.

The San Francisco 49ers have lost two of their best safeties in as many weeks, Talanoa Hufanga to a torn ACL in Week 11 and George Odum to a torn biceps in Week 12.

Odum, a key special teams ace, suffered his injury in the Niners' Thanksgiving Day victory over the Seattle Seahawks, and an MRI confirmed the injury would likely be of the season-ending variety with an "outside shot" of returning late in the postseason.

With two safeties down for the count, San Francisco needs to act fast and replenish the depth.

Hufanga's replacement is already on the 53-man roster in rookie Ji'Ayir Brown, who has performed well enough to suggest he won't be a liability. But that's where the depth matters.

Here are five safeties whom the 49ers can (and should) call upon to help beef up the depth chart again.

No. 5: Tayler Hawkins (49ers practice squad)

The first option on this list might actually be the best, and that'd be promoting safety Tayler Hawkins up from the practice squad.

Hawkins, a 2022 undrafted free agent who spent his first season at the pro level on the Niners practice squad, impressed enough during both preseason campaigns to have an outside shot at making San Francisco's 53-man roster.

If anything, he was just a victim of the numbers game.

Now, with two spots open, and Hawkins also boasting special teams experience from his collegiate days, getting the promotion to the 53-man roster might be the smart way to go.

It would also mark his first venture into regular-season play at the NFL level.