DeMeco Ryans Explains why he is so Confident in Talanoa Hufanga

The starting strong safety role is assuredly going to be Talanoa Hufanga with how DeMeco Ryans raved about how confident he is in him in OTAs.

Talanoa Hufanga is poised to be the starting strong safety for the 49ers.

With Jaquiski Tartt a free agent, a vacancy has opened up alongside Jimmie Ward that will allow Hufanga the prime opportunity to be a starter. Hufanga got a few starts last season when Tartt was on short-term Injured Reserve and had some nice flashes. Though he also showed some rawness to his game that needed some work. 

Now that the 49ers are entering the second week of OTAs, Hufanga has been impressing. So much so that defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans couldn't help but rave about him Wednesday at his press conference. The main takeaway from it was how confident and happy he is with where Hufanga is at. Ryans explains exactly why he is so confident in him.

"The confidence in Huf is just his daily approach. It's not a surprise to me that Huf plays well, that he does great things for our team because of his approach everyday, so it's not like you get out there on gameday 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 done exactly how he want it done, so its just his consistent approach daily. Thats what sets him apart, thats what will allow him to be a really good player."

Quite the praise from Ryans for Hufanga. Ryans is not one to just hype up a player in such depth for no reason. If he is doing it, he is doing it genuinely and organically. Judging from the way he praised Hufanga, it seems pretty clear that he is going to be the starting safety opposite of Ward. Not to mention that Ward gave some high praises about Hufanga as well during his press conference on Day 2 of OTAs.

Hufanga has some pretty big shoes to fill with Tartt gone. Despite the lack of popularity, Tartt is actually a high-level safety. I would even go as far as to say he is Pro Bowl caliber. It is just that his injuries and lack of turnovers accumulated do not make him an attractive player to hype up. But make no mistake, Tartt was viewed extremely highly by his peers and both Ryans and Robert Saleh. His role in the 49ers' defense cannot be overstated.

It is going to be a lot of pressure on Hufanga to step in, but a positive note is that he appears to be ascending nicely. Ward can see it and Ryans can see it. He is instilling confidence and comfortability with his progression. So long as he can keep it up, then he can prove to be a really solid starter in 2022. And if you ask Ryans, he would think so too as Hufanga has demonstrated the demeanor of a veteran since "day one" that he stepped into the 49ers' facility.

"Day one. Day one, Huf has been a pro." said Ryans. "Day one. It hasn't changed. That's something that a lot of young guys they don't come in that way, but Huf has been consistent. Sometimes it dies off, but Huf has been that way day one and he's still that same way right now. Really, really happy with where Huf is."