Malik Mustapha

49ers S Malik Mustapha is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Week 18 and is not expected to be ready for the 2025 opener.

Egads. Draft Saturday is a bizarre time to learn a regular season ACL tear three months prior, but the league moves in mysterious ways. A 2024 fourth-rounder, Mustapha had a strong rookie campaign as a near every-down player. He did battle through an ankle issue. He was solid in run coverage, and notched a pick. The 49ers were expecting even more in 2025 after losing Talanoa Hufanga in free agency. San Francisco’s entire defense could be for an uptick in 2025 play under returning DC Robert Saleh, but Mustapha appears ticketed to begin the year on the reserve/PUP list.