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NFL.com Ranks 49ers Safety Marques Sigle the 2nd-Best Pick of Round 5

Don't be surprised if Sigle starts as a rookie.
Grant Cohn|
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
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

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San Francisco 49ers

Since Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch joined the 49ers in 2017, they've found great players in Round 5.

George Kittle. Dre Greenlaw. Two of the greatest draft picks of Shanahan and Lynch's tenure and both were drafted in Round 5.

This year, the 49ers drafted two players in Round 5 -- running back Jordan James and safety Marques Sigle. And Sigle in particular recently was named the second-best fifth-round pick in the NFL this year by NFL.com's Chad Reuter.

"In the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, San Francisco picked up two defensive backs who became starters, Deommodore Lenoir (who signed a five-year, $92 million extension last November) and Talanoa Hufanga (who inked a three-year, $45 million pact with Denver this year), and Sigle should follow the same track. He always seems to be around the ball, partially because of the 4.37 speed he showed at the combine, but also because he has a good feel for coverage and is a willing tackler against the run."

The 49ers also drafted D.J. Reed in Round 5 of the 2017 NFL Draft. He recently signed a three-year, $48 million contract with the Lions. And he went to Kansas State, the same as Sigle.

Sigle is similar to former 49ers free safety Jimmie Ward who currently plays for the Houston Texans. Both are 5'11", both are fast and both can play nickelback in addition to safety. Ward was one of Robert Saleh's favorite players when Saleh was the 49ers' defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2020.

Don't be surprised if Sigle starts as a rookie considering second-year safety Malik Mustapha tore his ACL in the season finale and might not be ready for Week 1.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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