Malik Mustapha
Malik Mustapha is an American professional football safety for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He played college football for the Richmond Spiders and Wake [Forest Demon Deacons football|Wake Forest Demon Deacons]. He was selected by the 49ers in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Early life
Mustapha is of Nigerian descent. He attended Weddington High School in Weddington, North Carolina. In 2019 as a senior, he had 68 tackles and five interceptions, including a North [Carolina High School Athletic Association|North Carolina] state title where Mustapha blocked a kick in the second half of the championship game. He committed to the University of Richmond to play college football.College career
Mustapha played at Richmond for one year before transferring to Wake Forest University. He played at Wake Forest from 2021 to 2023. During his career, he had 175 tackles, three interceptions and four sacks over 35 games. Mustapha entered the 2024 NFL draft.Professional career
2024
The San Francisco 49ers selected Mustapha with the 124th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft. The 124th pick had initially belonged to the Dallas Cowboys, who traded it to the 49ers in exchange for Trey Lance.Mustapha began his rookie season as a backup, but injuries sustained by Talanoa Hufanga soon thrust him into a more prominent role. In Week 4 he made his first start in a 30–13 victory over the New England Patriots. Mustapha recorded his first career interception two weeks later during a Thursday night game against the Seattle Seahawks; the 49ers defeated the Seahawks 36–24. Owing to his strong play he was able to retain his position as a starter following Hufanga's return to the lineup in Week 14. Mustapha finished the season with 72 total tackles, including two tackles for loss, five passes defended, and an interception.