49ers Draft Kansas State Safety Marques Sigle in Round 5

The 49ers needed to add competition at the safety position.

Dec 26, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Kansas State Wildcats safety Marques Sigle (21) against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the Rate Bowl at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Circling back to the defense.

The San Francisco 49ers are drafting Kansas State safety Marques Sigle in Round 5 with the No. 160 overall pick. He is the final pick for the 49ers in the fifth round.

Sigle is a five year college player. He spent his first three seasons at North Dakota State before transferring to Kansas State, where he got his real playing time.

Sigle is listed as a safety, but he predominantly played in the slot or the box. To break it down for his college career: snaps in the slot (935), snaps in the box (325), and snaps as a free safety (90).

It seems the 49ers are making an emphasis to keep Deommodore Lenoir as an outside cornerback. Sigle is the second player who has a knack for playing the slot.

But I wouldn't be surprised if the 49ers try to see how he fares as a free safety. Sigle has insane speed. He registered a 4.37 40-yard dash at the scouting combine.

According to Pro Football Focus, Sigle's strength is as a run defender. He earned an exceptional run defense grade of 85.2. The 49ers continue their trend of adding players who can improve their run defense.

The issue with Sigle is that he misses tackles. He registered a 17.6 percent missed tackle rate last season. As great as his speed is, it seems he goes in and whiffs or isn't wrapping up.

He probably thinks his speed is enough to crack a player, but that isn't going to fly in the NFL. In any case, the 49ers needed another safety for added competition.