The San Francisco 49ers had to be pleased with their 2024 rookie class in their preseason debut against the Tennessee Titans.
Third-round pick Dominick Puni got the start at right guard. Second-round pick Renardo Green showed off his versatility playing outside cornerback and in the slot.
Rookie fourth-round pick Malik Mustapha also got a ton of burn after first-team safeties Ji’Ayir Brown and George Odum exited the game. He got off to a rough start, falling down on a blitz, then getting out of position on a long completion to a Titans tight end.
He bounced back strong though, and made his presence felt on a fourth-and-1 run late in the second quarter near the goal line. Mustapha shot a gap and blew up Titans running back Hassan Haskins for a turnover on downs.
The rook trucked 'em at Nissan Stadium 🛻
📲 NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4nCVJ pic.twitter.com/MW5hO0biGq
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 11, 2024
The hit was reminiscent of a play 49ers Hall of Fame linebacker Patrick Willis made when he was in college at Ole Miss.
Against LSU, Willis shot a gap the same way and dropped the RB with a perfect form tackle the way Mustapha did. Here’s a video filmed on a six-week old potato:
Mustapha has a long way to go to be as impactful as Willis. However, his flashes in his preseason debut bode well for his chances to be an effective pro.
At Wake Forest, physicality and strong tackling were two things that jumped out about Mustapha’s game. That those two things translated in his first NFL game action are a great sign for him.
It’s unlikely Mustapha will start this season with Brown and Talanoa Hufanga ahead of him on the depth chart. There could be chances for him to get on the field in some three-safety looks if he continues building off the foundation he built in Tennessee.
