New 49ers safety Mustapha ready to follow in Hufanga’s footsteps

SANTA CLARA — With the No. 124 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the 49ers added Malik Mustapha to bring depth and downhill speed to the defensive backfield. The Wake Forest safety is familiar with the 49ers' need for safeties to be the "eraser," and he has kept a watchful eye on new teammate Talanoa Hufanga excel in the role during his career. "I feel like I fit the model perfectly," Mustapha said on Saturday. "It's something that I emphasized a lot when I was playing defense at Wake Forest. Being able to be coached by good coaches that helped my playing ability at the next level, is something that's going to help me become more of an eraser. "Looking at film from guys like Hufanga is something that I looked at a lot during my time at Wake Forest, picking up gems from him as well. He's one of the best erasers in the game of football and I know that learning from him and then picking up where he left off and just learning from the veteran guys there and earning the respect of everybody will help me to enhance my playing ability as well." Mustapha recorded impressive stats during his final college season, registering 62 total tackles, 21 run stops, five coverage stops, three pass...