Malik Mustapha Needs Tackling Improvement for Continued Play

San Francisco 49ers rookie safety Malik Mustapha is the real deal since getting his first start against the New England Patriots. While he brings athleticism and energy, there’s one area of big improvement he needs to make: tackling. Tackling is critical when these plays are made under the kind that can occur when trying to win in goal-line stands. As Mustapha looks to strengthen his place in the defense, tackling will be a pretty integral part on which his playing time and team success will hinge.

Promising Talent, Needs Improvement

Malik Mustapha was a substitute for Talanoa Hufanga, who sat out with an injury. On this surprising move, so much can be said about how confident the 49ers are in him. He has made some good plays, but tackling is not really one of them. One notable play was when he missed a significant third-down tackle early in the game, which enabled the Patriots to convert for a first down. Head coach Kyle Shanahan brought up this mistake but complimented Malik Mustapha on the overall game, proclaiming the tackling technique as an area that needs improvement. Clean up those miscues and look for Malik Mustapha to keep working his way into the rotation.

The tackling skills were oftentimes mentioned during the preseason games, where he struggled much and even in the goal-line situations. Tackling is indeed the crucial ability of safety since it could prevent big plays and keep the opposing offense tied. Although he did some good things against the Patriots, the game did not involve any goal-line situations that really would challenge his tackling ability. Moving forward, Malik Mustapha has to be more concerned with his technique. With a few adjustments, he can be that better player you need in crucial situations.

Raw Talent with Room for Growth

What makes Malik Mustapha interesting is his raw talent. He has the needed speed and aggression that can mean stars for him to excel at the NFL but needs to be channeled well. If he can improve his tackling, then there is a strong case to make that he should play over Hufanga sometime in the near future.

Versus the Patriots, he flashed a little bit of what he might be able to bring to the field, especially when he did get to the quarterback and helped seal the deal for his teammates. His lack of consistency in tackling could be an issue, however. The 49ers need him to be an accountable player who can be called upon when the situation is critical.

Malik Mustapha needs to perfect his tackling skills, as he has been given a two-year contract and has ample time to develop and hone his skills. The coaching staff is probably guiding him in the right direction to raise his game. If he can eradicate some of those missed tackles, though, this guy is going to be part of the defense for the 49ers. Mustapha can be a difference-maker. That happens only if he starts tackling. Observant fans will have to see him work through that.

Conclusion

Malik Mustapha possesses the physical tools and raw skills that can truly make a difference for the 49ers’ defense. Tackling skills—very much needs improvement to make him quite good. And in his debut, he had some highlights, but he was quite worried about those missed tackles and how they pointed out the areas of improvement. In this case, if he masters the technique of refining it into becoming a consistent tackler, aside from cementing himself on the team, then he could climb further up in the ranks of the team. As the season progresses, fans will be keen on observing how he works to overcome these challenges and contribute to the ambitions of the 49ers.

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