How the 49ers Will Use Malik Mustapha

The 49ers need to get creative.

Sep 23, 2023; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons defensive back Malik / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Malik Mustapha might start at safety for the 49ers in 2025. But if he wants to play defense in 2024, he might have to play a different position.

Fortunately for Mustapha, he played linebacker on third downs at Wake Forest.

"We called that the Panther package," Mustapha said. "Going into the game, there were different tasks, depending on the different teams. So, it was either I had to spy the quarterback or, sometimes I would be with the defensive front, running stunts. They always had a key factored on me offensively when identifying me. So, there were a lot of spots I was put in. Being at the linebacker depth, and then disguising, where I would have to burst to play single high coverage, and even an extra nickel spot. There were a lot of hats that I wore during that third down package. Just speaking to my versatility and being able to, like I said, impact on different levels of the football. So, it was a game plan adjustment for sure, but it was something that I took pride in.”

The 49ers' current outside linebacker in the nickel defense is De'Vondre Campbell, who's a liability at this point in his career. Eventually, Dre Greenlaw will return from a torn Achilles and be the weakside linebacker on all downs. But until he returns, the 49ers might be best off playing Campbell at outside linebacker on first and second down, and Mustapha at outside linebacker on third down.

The 49ers need to get creative, and this is one way they might do that.