Malik

Mustapha

Mustapha aggrevated a previously torn ACL late last year and opened the 2025 season on the PUP list while recovering. He practiced in full three times this week before being cleared for action. Mustapha appeared in 16 games with a rookie and was credited with 12 starts. He broke up five passes and stole one interception.

Mustapha landed on injured reserve last October with a torn ACL and has been working his way back ever since. The second-year player and former fourth-round pick started 12 of the 16 games he appeared in for the 49ers last season and totaled 72 tackles, two TFLs, and one interception in his rookie campaign. While he could return to practice after Week 6, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Niners take a few weeks to ramp him up before letting him return to game action.

He’ll miss at least the first four weeks of the season, but that’s no surprise. The latest expectations we had from Kyle Shanahan on Aiyuk’s return were “around Week 6" — it’s certainly possible that Aiyuk may be ready to practice when his forced stint on the PUP list is up based on that timeline. It’s also possible that Aiyuk misses more than just four weeks. We’re sure Shanahan will be asked about it often starting in Week 4. The 49ers also placed S Malik Mustapha on the PUP list.

The 49ers continue to be extra cautious with their No. 1 wide receiver, whose expected return-to-play date falls in the Weeks 5-6 range. A recent beat report suggested Aiyuk is ahead of schedule and has a chance to suit up for Week 1, though this outcome should be considered somewhat unlikely at this time. The 49ers also placed OL Andre Dillard, DE Yetur Gross-Matos, S Malik Mustapha and LB Curtis Robinson on the active/PUP list while OT Ben Bartch and S George Odum landed on the active/non-football injury list.

Aiyuk is still rehabbing a torn ACL and MCL he suffered in Week 7 last season. He was not expected to be ready until midseason, so it is not a surprise Shanahan indicated the 27-year-old wideout would start the season on the physically unable to perform list. Safety Malik Mustapha and rookie quarterback Kurtis Rourke are also expected to land on the PUP list. Meanwhile, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall are expected to be ready for training camp and will see bigger roles without Aiyuk to start the season.

Egads. Draft Saturday is a bizarre time to learn a regular season ACL tear three months prior, but the league moves in mysterious ways. A 2024 fourth-rounder, Mustapha had a strong rookie campaign as a near every-down player. He did battle through an ankle issue. He was solid in run coverage, and notched a pick. The 49ers were expecting even more in 2025 after losing Talanoa Hufanga in free agency. San Francisco’s entire defense could be for an uptick in 2025 play under returning DC Robert Saleh, but Mustapha appears ticketed to begin the year on the reserve/PUP list.

Bosa was able to work out prior to the contest and felt healthy enough during the pregame warmups. The 49ers will also get Dre Greenlaw for his season debut. With Bosa and Greenlaw back, the inactives for the Thursday Night Football contest are T Trent Williams, QB Joshua Dobbs, DL Khalil Davis, S Malik Mustapha, CB Rock-Ya Sin and RB Israel Abanikanda.

He was announced as questionable in the second quarter before being ruled out in the third. The fourth-round rookie has been playing about 50 weekly snaps in recent games. George Odum is finishing the game in his place.

Mustapha (5’101/206) attended Richmond for a year when he didn’t receive a scholarship from Wake Forest before hitting the transfer portal after the spring of his freshman year and finally becoming a Demon Deacon. He emerged in 2022 with 58 tackles, 15 pressures, 8.0 TFL, and 3.5 sacks, which buttressed his sterling 92.7 pass-rush grade that ranked second in the nation. Mustapha would be named a defensive captain and play more in the box, leading to a career-high 80 tackles and a Second Team All-ACC nod for his Exemplary play. The Charlotte, NC product was sidelined at Indy with a right hamstring strain but made his presence felt with an excellent testing set on his pro day. He ran a blistering 2.57s flying-20 (92nd percentile) and a 4.54s 40-yard dash (74th%) to go with a fantastic 41.5” vertical (98th percentile) and 22 bench reps (96th percentile) for a fortified 9.39 RAS. Mustapha has a stocky, dense frame that brings authority to his presence as a front-line, run supporting strong safety. While stout proportions can cause him to stick on blocks and limit his ability to probe tight ends in coverage, his noticeable athleticism and range allowed Mustapha to play a significant amount of free safety. He could easily exceed the relatively modest draft capital investment for the 49ers.