Talanoa Hufanga is involved in an open competition to win the starting safety job next to veteran Jimmie Ward. Hufanga is entering his second NFL season. He started just three games last season but was in and out of the lineup through 15 games.
"Just him seeing the game last year got him that much more comfortable this year," Ward said of his defensive teammate. "He's covering. He has great angles in the run fit, and he knows his stuff."
Hufanga has a pretty good mentor. He continues to work with Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu.
"I just try to take every day one day at a time, continue to work on my weaknesses, work on my strengths," Hufanga told reporters after Wednesday's practice. "And Troy has been a great guide for me, has continued to believe in me, and keep me disciplined."
Hufanga, a fifth-round pick out of USC by the 49ers last year, finished his rookie campaign with 32 tackles, a tackle for a loss, a quarterback hit, and two passes defensed in a primarily supportive role on defense.
"The confidence in Huf is just his daily approach," defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans said on Wednesday. "It's not a surprise to me that Huf plays well, that he does great things for our team because of his approach every day, so it's not like you get out there on game day and he surprises me because I see the way he works, I see the way he's in the building.
"He's always asking questions in meetings. He's always looking to get the answer and get it right and get it done exactly how he wants it done, so it's just his consistent approach daily. That's what sets him apart. That's what will allow him to be a really good player for us."
The safety credits the game slowing down in his sophomore NFL year to his offseason regimen.
"I think it's the preparation, offseason training, and also, the game has slowed down for me," Hufanga shared. "But I'm not perfect, so I've got to continue to build every day, make the plays that are my way, and you don't want to have any errors. So if you can just limit those [mis]steps in the game, and kind of be a little bit faster just from slowing everything—the process—down, you can try to do those things and be successful at it."
After being drafted, Hufanga told reporters that his first-year goal was to be a special teams Pro Bowl selection. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. It's still the safety's goal, though, despite being in the mix to start.
"I know I'm in a different role right now, that I'm continuing to fight each and every day just to make the 53-man roster," Hufanga said. "For me, that's just been a goal of mine each and every year, just continue to establish that. But being a special-teams Pro Bowler, that would be a dream come true. So I just want to continue to work towards that as well."
Ryans has been pleased with Hufanga's work ethic. The coach says the safety's approach has been the same since he first entered the building as a rookie. The difference from year one has been noticeable, though.
"This offseason has been eye-opening for me just to see Huf, the way he's communicating out there, much better, louder, better communicator," Ryans declared. "You do see him move faster because I think things are starting to slow down for him. As a rookie, things are flying. It's hard to figure things out. As a rookie, you're just trying to figure out, 'Where do I align and what do I have on this particular play?'
"Now, Huf is getting more comfortable where he's able to decipher, 'OK, how is the offense trying to attack me? And where can I be to put myself in the right position to make plays?' So Huf is definitely ascending in the right direction, and I'm happy with where he is just because that's what OTAs is about—guys coming in, owning the techniques, and trying to get better every day. And when you see a guy like Huf do that, you see the purpose for it. And it's been great for him."