The San Francisco 49ers defense is not the star attraction at their mandatory minicamp this week.

With questions over potential holdouts and new weapons for Brock Purdy on the offensive side of the ball, the defense is taking something of a backseat.

But there's still reason for intrigue on that side of the ball as they aim to return to their extremely high standards in 2024 after a 2023 dip. Here I look at three defensive players worthy of keeping an eye on at minicamp.

DT Maliek Collins

Collins was not seen at the 49ers OTA practices open to the media having made the decision to wait until his children graduated school before heading out to the Bay Area.

As a result, minicamp will provide a first look at a player the 49ers believe will be able to replace Arik Armstead and form an effective partnership on the interior defensive line with Javon Hargrave.

Collins' pressure rate of 11.1 percent last season was 10th among defensive tackles with at least 10 pressures, per Sports Info Solutions. The 49ers will be hoping he can perform at a similar level in 2024 and make their trade for him, which saw them send a seventh-round pick to the Houston Texans, prove a significant steal. 

Minicamp won't give much of an indication as to whether that will be possible, but the 49ers will be delighted to get Collins on the practice field and start properly working him into the defensive system.

DE Robert Beal Jr.

The 49ers' edge rush rotation isn't overly deep behind Nick Bosa and Leonard Floyd, with none of their backups having a history of consistent production.

San Francisco would ideally like to see 2022 second-round pick Drake Jackson take the leap in year three after two frustrating seasons. 

Yet with Jackson still recovering from knee surgery, minicamp represents an opportunity for Beal, a fifth-round pick from last year, to stake his claim for a consistent role in the rotation.

Despite not making his debut until Week 15, he was trusted to play snaps in the postseason and in the Super Bowl as a rookie and possesses the explosiveness off the snap the 49ers look for from their defensive linemen. 

The 49ers and defensive line coach Kris Kocurek clearly had enough faith in Beal to trust him in the biggest games of the season last year. The challenge for Beal is to prove he is worthy of more belief in 2024.

S Malik Mustapha

Talanoa Hufanga, the 49ers' All-Pro safety from 2022, is not expected to make his return to practice until training camp. Hufanga suffered a torn ACL in November last year.

With Hufanga still limited to weight room work, it gives rookie Malik Mustapha a chance to provide early evidence as to why so many view him as an excellent value pick in the fourth round.

Mustapha was widely regarded as the best tackling safety in the draft but also brings the versatility to make an impact at all three levels of the defense having displayed excellent playmaking instincts in his collegiate career at Wake Forest.

The 49ers won't want to go into the regular season with Mustapha and second-year player Ji'Ayir Brown as their starting safeties, but they'll feel much better about their options beyond Brown and Hufanga if Mustapha can impress while the latter remains on the sideline.

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