SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- While the San Francisco 49ers didn't draft a safety until Saturday's fifth round, that pick -- Kansas State's Marques Sigle -- could have a chance at a bigger than anticipated role right away.
That's because, at the end of a season rife with long-term injuries, the Niners didn't escape their final game against Arizona without adding one more to the list. Rookie safety Malik Mustapha is recovering from an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that was discovered after he was cleated in the knee in the second quarter of the season finale against the Cardinals, sources told ESPN.
Mustapha's injury is actually related to the ACL tear he suffered in the same knee while playing at Wake Forest in January 2022. Mustapha returned from that injury in time to play 10 games during the following season.
Although Mustapha departed the Arizona game with a knee injury and did not return, he was thought to be OK and in the locker room with the team the day after the game. Later that week, an MRI revealed that the graft that had been placed in the knee was torn. Mustapha had surgery to repair the knee after the issue was discovered.
According to a source, Mustapha has been at the team facility rehabbing the knee and is "doing really well." There is no definitive timeline on Mustapha's return but, given how late in the year the injury occurred, it's unlikely he will be ready at the start of the season with a midseason return more likely, sources said. Mustapha did, however, recover quickly from his previous ACL injury and there was no meniscus or cartilage damage in Arizona.
After fellow safety Talanoa Hufanga was unable to start last season as recovered from his own knee injury, Mustapha emerged quickly in a starting role. He fared well enough that he held the job for most of the season, starting 12 games with an interception, five passes defended and 72 tackles after the Niners used a fourth-round selection on him in 2024.
Sigle was a two-year starter for the Wildcats, often playing a hybrid nickel cornerback/safety role. He posted 123 tackles, four interceptions and 16 pass breakups over those two years. At the NFL scouting combine in February, Sigle ran the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds, the fastest time among players projected to play safety in the NFL.
"He's a guy who can really run," general manager John Lynch said. "He's got a lot of versatility to his game. He's a good tackler... A term we use is taking the grass and this is a guy who takes the grass, he takes the fight to the ball carrier, to the receiver and I think he's going to be a really good fit for us."
In addition to Sigle, the 49ers invested in depth at safety in free agency. They signed Richie Grant and Jason Pinnock in March. That trio will compete with returnees Ji'Ayir Brown and George Odum for playing time at safety.
As it stands, Brown is the most experienced starter among the 49ers' safety group, having started 18 games over the past two seasons.