New York Giants Draft Prospect: SAF Malik Mustapha

If the Giants are looking for depth at safety, Wake Forest's Malik Mustapha could be a solid fit.

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Jan 7, 2024 1:00 PM EST

In this story:

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

New York Giants

SAF Malik Mustapha

Height: 5’11
Weight: 207 lbs.
Class: Junior (4th year)
School: Wake Forest
College Stats

Mustapha was an accomplished high school football player out of Weddington High School in Matthews, North Carolina, where he helped lead his team to a North Carolina 3AA State Championship. Mustapha played one season for the Richmond Spiders before transferring to Wake Forest. Mustapha played 162 snaps in his one year at Richmond and recorded 14 tackles with one pass breakup.

Mustapha started every game for the Demon Deacons in 2023. He will be attending the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

Strengths

Good athlete with less than desirable height/length
Sturdy frame with good muscle definition
Versatile player who displayed controlled movement in backpedal
Had solid range from middle of the field closed position

Norte Dame Q1 7:53 fade outside the numbers from reduced No. 2 PBU
FLST Q1 7:20 2nd&10 center field on post

Showed a good understanding of angles from the single-high position when moving backward
Displayed necessary low center of gravity and fluidity when aligned in middle of the field
Best utilization is near the line of scrimmage in the box as a BIG NICKEL type of defender
Excellent play strength and pop on contact - will be difficult for WRs to block
Stays low on contact to shed blocks and find the ball carrier
Good eyes when close to the LOS
14% of his snaps were from the slot - Good option for RPO apex defender due to run support
Better in run support the closer he is to the LOS
Had a phenomenal forced fumble on misdirection end around in man coverage

NCST Q4 13:42 1st&10

Wasn’t asked to blitz often but showed great burst moving forward - wrecking ball type of mover
Highlight-level hits and tackles coming downhill
Will have massive special teams upside and can start in sub-packages

Weaknesses

Shorter - looks smaller than 5’11
Lack of length affects his tackle radius
Seems to have short arms
Inconsistent angles from depth when MOFC deep safety
Love his aggressiveness, but he can be wild into the tackle point and misses too many tackles
Too frequently attempted to undercut blocks and would miss the tackle
Beat bad overplaying an EMPTY No.3 double move vertical against Old Dominion
Only had nine plays on the football in his career

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Summary

Malik Mustapha is a physical safety who displayed range and competence in a single-high role, but his game was maximized closer to the line of scrimmage, where his aggressiveness in run support is more effective due to sub-optimal angles from deeper depths. He does a good job staying square to contact, using good timing to attack in the box, and displayed traits similar to a linebacker when he was closer to the LOS.

Mustapha will start as a solid sub-package rotational player who thrives on special teams. His temperament against the run and overall movement skills may lead to him seeing the defense in his rookie season. His athletic ability allows him to play man coverage effectively, especially on horizontal routes, but he made some bad mistakes on vertical concepts with double moves. Mustapha wasn’t asked to blitz often (51 times in his career), but there’s potential in that area with his low nature, active hands, and explosiveness.

I don’t know the fate of current Giants’ defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, but Mustapha strikes me as a good fit for Martindale’s defense. Testing has not yet occurred, nor have his official measurements been released. He should test well, but I think he’s smaller than his listed height (5’11), and his arms seem small on tape, which does seem to affect his play.

GRADE: 6.18