Despite suffering a season-ending injury in November last year, Talanoa Hufanga is still regarded in league circles as one of the premier safeties in the NFL.

The San Francisco 49ers star, an All-Pro in 2022, squeaked onto an ESPN list of the top 10 safeties in the NFL, compiled by polling coaches, executives and scouts from around the league.

Hufanga had three pass breakups and three interceptions last season before tearing his ACL in a Week 11 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In 2022, Hufanga was a walking splash play, racking up four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, nine pass breakups, two sacks, three quarterback hits, five tackles for loss and two forced fumbles en route to being named first-team All-Pro.

That playmaking ability is why he is considered among the best in the game, but one NFL personnel evaluator expressed concern about the limitations of his overall skill set.

"Hufanga is a playmaker," the evaluator was quoted as saying by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler for the article. 

"But I don't love him in coverage. Has to be playing top down on the ball. But he's incredibly instinctual and physical in that role."

Concerns about Hufanga's play in coverage are not new. While he can create game-changing plays, he also has a penchant for giving up explosive ones. He is, as the evaluator articulated, at his best playing downhill, and that is why the 49ers, beyond needing to do so for depth, should be seriously considering adding another safety in a late move with a good, albeit gradually diminishing, number of veterans still on the market.

Though the 49ers could yet reunite with Tashaun Gipson, who started for them in each of the last two seasons. The primary candidate figures to be Justin Simmons, the former Denver Broncos All-Pro who would add even more playmaking ability while offering the 49ers a center-fielder with the range to play the deep middle as a single-high safety.

Hufanga is right now set to start alongside Ji'Ayir Brown. The 2023 third-round pick impressed significantly when Hufanga's injury catapulted him into the lineup, displaying a superb combination of instincts and athletic ability while also flashing prowess in man coverage

The 49ers won't want to stunt Brown's development and potential for a breakout year by having a safety take snaps away from him. However, adding a veteran like Simmons would drastically increase the flexibility of the San Francisco defense, giving them the option of using three-safety looks in which Hufanga would be freed to operate closer to the line of scrimmage and consistently wreak the kind of havoc that has made him a star.

With linebacker Dre Greenlaw seemingly unlikely to be available for the start of the season after tearing his Achilles in the Super Bowl, Hufanga potentially being able to play as a de-facto linebacker would be a significant aid to the 49er defense.

Even if the 49ers don't add at safety to increase their defensive menu, Hufanga's track record suggests he will still thrive and make plays coming off the injury. However, the best way to emphasize what Hufanga does best might be to make a late free agency splash.

49ers’ running back training camp competition could decide Christian McCaffrey’s 2024 workload

They need somebody to take on some of the burden.