Malik Mustapha quickly became a valuable asset to the San Francisco 49ers defense last season as a rookie. Heading into 2025 where the Niners lost multiple starters in the secondary, Mustapha may be called on to produce even more.
Except ... he suffered a torn ACL in San Francisco's regular season finale.
The team decided to keep the injury hushed until after the NFL Draft even though Mustapha had already underwent surgery. As the team wraps up minicamp, we have already seen glimpses of the former fourth-round pick in his rehab. Mustapha was reportedly in attendance for every OTA and minicamp session, and despite not being able to compete in team drills, was working diligently with the athletic training staff at practice.
He is looking very strong in a video update posted to social media, leading us to believe he could be ahead of schedule in his recovery. Mustapha's surgically repaired right knee is just 21 weeks removed from operation.
The Wake Forest product, who has already undergone a knee recovery in college, was seen pulling sleds and lifting weights seemingly with ease.
Although we would have liked to see some side-to-side movement and change of direction to fully gauge his strength, we'll take what we can get in signs of progress. Still, things look good at this stage of the offseason.
Initial reports predicted Mustapha would start the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, meaning he would have to miss the first four games.
If he keeps up this work, he could make a run at being fully healthy before Week 5 and return to manning the 49ers' secondary sooner than expected.
That would be a major plus for a San Francisco roster that was plagued with injury all throughout last season.
The Niners didn't draft a safety this year until the fifth round in Marques Sigle. The rest of the defensive backfield is likely to include youngster Ji'Ayir Brown and free-agent grab Jason Pinnock. Losing All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga will sting if the 49ers can't find a suitable substitute before Mustapha recovers.
By the looks of it, he is hoping the team won't have to wait long for his return.
