Sorensen highlighted Mustapha’s communication skills and how much he cares.
Most rookies’ heads are spinning during the first week of training camp. They’re used to playbooks that are easy to digest and be able to waltz onto the field and rely on their athletic ability.
That doesn’t fly at this level. The 15-hour commitment that you had in college will have you riding the pine in the pros. For most, by the time you figure out the type of work ethic it takes to excel in the NFL, it’s too late.
That doesn’t appear to be an issue for San Francisco 49ers rookie safety Malik Mustapha. Working with the second team, Mustapha had an interception on Wednesday and nearly hauled in another on Thursday. If he keeps making plays on the ball, it won’t be long until the rookie out of Wake Forest earns reps with the first team.
Mustapha has caught the eye of defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen. who said, “You could tell he has been studying” when asked about Mustapha during Thursday’s press conference:
“It’s not really like hesitant at all in the communications and being comfortable just in what he is doing back there, how he’s communicating.”
The number of pre-snap checks safeties have to account for—especially going against a Kyle Shanahan offense— is unheard of and easy to mess up. So, for Sorensen to mention Mustapha’s communication skills in his first breath should raise eyebrows in a positive manner.
Sorensen continued to rave about the rookie:
“You didn’t see him do as many things in the post. He had a nice pick out of the post yesterday. He’s just got good natural football instincts. But what we knew about him is that he cared. He did a lot of things, and I think the next thing that’s going to show up for him, he is a good tackler. He’s really physical. That’s the stuff you haven’t seen so far because the stuff in the offseason it was seeing he’s a big dude like he’s swole. He’s like strong, but he’s got that mobility. He’s got some flexibility, and he moves really well, too. So to see that he’s got the movement skill to go along, you could see that he cares. He is putting the time into it just because how he’s communicating out there and moving around.”
“He cared” stands out to me. Intent is everything in football, and it’s a trait the 49ers have been fantastic at identifying. You have to find 11 players who are made of the right stuff. It’s not something you can quantify, but when you see it, you just…know.
Physical attributes shouldn’t be ignored and will certainly allow Mustapha to make plays, but if he understands his responsibilities inside and out and gets the communication piece down this early, Mustapha is putting himself in a prime position to play or at least earn playing time early in the season.
Let’s see if he can continue to build on a strong first week of practice when the 49ers put the pads on next week.