Despite plenty of speculation that the 49ers would not use the 124th overall pick acquired from the Trey Lance trade to the Dallas Cowboys, the 49ers stuck with it.
With that pick, they took Wake Forest safety Malik Mustapha, an absolute sparkplug who plays way above his frame, and who is a consistent playmaker.
San Francisco got jumped by one pick by the Houston Texans for Ohio State tight end Cade Stover, who clearly thought they were interested in him. I wrote this morning that Stover made the most sense for the 49ers, but that if they didn't go that direction, Mustapha was one of three players worth selecting.
He allowed the sixth-lowest completion percentage amongst safeties in FBS last season at 32%, and allowed just one touchdown in 302 coverage snaps, per ESPN stats and info:
I had Mustapha mocked to the 49ers at 132 overall in my second mock:
"Mustapha, though, is maybe my second-favorite safety in this class, and seems criminally underrated. Maybe you take him at the 117 slot, but Bortolini is too good to pass up.
It seems like any time there’s a screen or an outside zone run, Mustapha comes downhill like he was shot out of a cannon. He might be undersized height-wise at 5 feet, 10 1/8 inches, but he has a sturdy frame at 209 pounds, and contains elite athleticism and instincts that allow him to range over and make plays on deep balls.
His coverage has the most question marks, but coverage is notoriously difficult to evaluate for college safeties, and Mustapha flashes more than enough intelligence and athleticism to grow into a quality, well-rounded safety."
DRAFT GRADE: A
Mustapha was the second-graded safety on my board. He is an absolutely elite athlete with a competitive mentality who projects to compete for a starting role, and at minimum, be a Day 1 contributor on special teams.
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