How 49ers used 2024 draft pick from Lance-to-Cowboys trade

SANTA CLARA - The 49ers appear to have their two starting safeties already in place, but there are questions about a player just one season removed from earning All-Pro honors. Safety Talanoa Hufanga is returning from a torn ACL that he sustained last November. He also is set to enter the final year of his contract. Perhaps with an eye to the future, the 49ers on Saturday selected Malik Mustapha of Wake Forest with the No. 124 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The 49ers acquired the pick from the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for quarterback Trey Lance. Mustapha (5-foot-10, 206 pounds) started all 22 games in which he appeared over the past two seasons. He was a second-team All-ACC performer and a team captain. He clocked a time of 4.54 seconds in the 40-yard dash at his pro day and should have a chance to make an immediate impact on special-teams coverage units as a rookie. The 49ers spent their first selection a year ago on safety Ji'Ayir Brown of Penn State. Due to trades for Lance and Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers did not have picks in the first two rounds of last year's draft. They traded up to choose Brown in the third round at No. 87 overall. Brown saw...