Last April, as the San Francisco 49ers were gearing up for day three of the 2025 NFL Draft, they knew they had to identify a potential interim replacement for starting safety Malik Mustapha, whose ACL tear in the regular-season finale the previous January wasn't disclosed until the draft itself.
Yet the Niners knew the news for months, which potentially helps explain why they honed in on Kansas State defensive back Marques Sigle, a hard-hitting in-the-box safety whom they grabbed in Round 5.
Slightly undersized at 5-foot-11 and 199 pounds, Sigle nevertheless made up for his lack of stature with a combination of thump and speed -- he ran a 4.37 40-yard time during the NFL Combine -- both of which ensured he'd have his name called on draft day.
With 10 tackles for a loss, four interceptions and 12 passes broken up during his last two collegiate seasons with the Wildcats, it's safe to say Sigle was a playmaker.
And those playmaking abilities could be an ultimate wild card for San Francisco, potentially right out of the gate in year one.
Marques Sigle could throw 49ers' plans at safety completely out the window
Mustapha's likely absence from the opening 53-man roster creates a void, and when combined with the offseason free-agent departure of All-Pro Talanoa Hufanga, the 49ers' safety competition for Week 1 is wide, wide open.
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh essentially pointed out as much already.
On paper, it'd seem the two likely favorites to start the regular season would be third-year pro Ji'Ayir Brown and a free-agent offseason pickup, Jason Pinnock, whose ties to Saleh and special teams coordinator Brant Boyer help. Richie Grant, another offseason grab, is squarely in the mix, too.
Sigle's speed gives him a potential edge over the slower Brown, suggesting a possible fit atop the defense at free safety. And the rookie's hard-hitting demeanor might be suitable for in-the-box work, too, meaning Sigle's versatility will play a role.
That said, Sigle will have to do a better job than Brown at recognizing routes and reacting to them, as being primarily a run defender won't work well in the first-year pro's favor.
But, should Sigle outperform Brown and/or Pinnock between now and Week 1, there's a good chance fans would be seeing the incarnation of a new-look safety duo for the foreseeable future, one that features the former Kansas State product and his fellow position mate, Mustapha.
Brown, Grant and Pinnock, meanwhile, would be left to fight for the backup scraps.
