49ers draft pick receives subtle recognition for rookie season in NFL Honors voting, underlining his status as future star
The San Francisco 49ers understandably did not receive a lot of recognition at NFL Honors last week following their disappointing 6-11 season. Tight end George Kittle won the Salute to Service Award for his outstanding work supporting military causes. However, in terms of on-field play, no members of the 49ers roster were ever likely to […]
The San Francisco 49ers understandably did not receive a lot of recognition at NFL Honors last week following their disappointing 6-11 season.
Tight end George Kittle won the Salute to Service Award for his outstanding work supporting military causes. However, in terms of on-field play, no members of the 49ers roster were ever likely to be in the running.
Some players still received votes, however. Kittle earned a fourth-placed vote for Offensive Player of the Year following another 1,000-yard season, while linebacker Dre Greenlaw earned a fourth-placed vote for Comeback Player of the Year after returning from the Achilles injury he suffered in Super Bowl 58, albeit managing fewer than three quarters on the field across two games.
But the most interesting recipient of a vote for the 2024 awards was safety Malik Mustapha.
The fourth-round rookie received a fourth-place vote for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
It was just a single vote, but it served as subtle recognition from an extremely promising first season in the NFL from Mustapha.
In 12 starts, Mustapha had 72 combined tackles, including two for a loss. He also registered five pass breakups and one interception.
Mustapha displayed intriguing play in coverage and significant upside playing downhill against the run.
Among safeties targeted at least 10 times, Mustapha ranked second by Expected Points Added per target. Throws into Mustapha's coverage averaged minus 1.14 EPA.
On top of that, he ranked 19th among all safeties in Sports Info Solutions' 'points saved' metric against the run.
A versatile and ultra-physical playmaker, Mustapha fits the 49ers to a tee and appears to have all the tools necessary to blossom into one of the game's top safeties. Mustapha likely won't have spent any time celebrating a fourth-placed vote, but, if he continues on his current track, much greater recognition will come his way in future seasons.
