49ers GM Lynch impressed by Mustapha, compares him to Cardinals star originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Programming note: Watch John Lynch’s full “49ers Game Plan” interview with Greg Papa tonight on NBC Sports Bay Area at 9:30 p.m. PT.
Rookie safety Malik Mustapha reminds 49ers general manager John Lynch of a proven NFL veteran.
With 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga out for San Francisco’s Week 6 game against the Seattle Seahawks with torn ligaments in his right wrist, Mustapha has another chance to continue demonstrating that.
Lynch sat down with Greg Papa for NBC Sports Bay Area’s “49ers Game Plan,” sharing why he believes the 22-year-old, selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, has similar qualities to Arizona Cardinals’ six-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-Pro safety Budda Baker.
“You’re going to see him full speed all the time,” Lynch told Papa of Mustapha. “[He] reminds me a lot of Budda Baker, who we saw play, just in terms of his one hundred percent effort all the time. There are some things he can clean up in terms of his eyes.
“I think you only do that through playing particularly at that position. There’s a lot going on. There’s an old saying from my old coach Monte Kiffin: see a little, see a lot, see a lot, see nothing. And so I think just focusing, honing his eyes and you only do that through the experience of playing.”
As coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. consider placing Hufanga on injury reserve and with second-year safety Ji’Ayir Brown dealing with an ankle injury, Mustapha’s role as the 49ers’ No. 1 safety projects to go beyond Thursday’s showdown against the Seahawks at Lumen Field.
Once again, the rookie safety likely will log a substantial amount of snaps, like he did against the New England Patriots in Week 3 and against the Cardinals last Sunday.
Lynch is confident Mustapha will continue to step up through the graces of his qualities, which also remind him of San Francisco’s defensive heartbeat: Fred…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-gm-lynch-impressed-mustapha-001034922.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-10-10 00:10:34
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