Niners draft safety to start Day 3
SANTA CLARA >> The 49ers wrapped up their eight-man draft class Saturday, with five spots reserved for offensive depth and the other three assigned to defensive reinforcements.
Safety Malik Mustapha was their first pick on Day 3, and he enters team lore as the player drafted with the fourth-round selection acquired for quarterback Trey Lance in last August's trade with the Cowboys.
Speaking of trades, the 49ers dealt a pair of fifthround picks to the New York Jets to move up for Louisville running back Isaac Guerendo, then they closed out the fourth round by picking Arizona wide receiver Jacob Cowing.
The 49ers picked up another interior offensive lineman this draft by deploying their sixth-round pick on Jarrett Kingston, an Anderson native who played at USC last year after five years at Washington State.
The 49ers' final pick (always worth charting, thanks to Brock Purdy) was ... linebacker Tatum
Bethune, of Florida State, in the seventh round (No. 251 overall.
S MALIK MUSTAPHA >> Mustapha, selected 124th overall, adds depth to a spot needing bodies, including as insurance for starter Talanoa Hufanga as he returns from last season's anterior cruciate ligament tear. Two years ago, Mustapha was coming off his own ACL injury, which he sustained in the Gator Bowl.
“I'm a downhill, speed, tenacity ballplayer that plays physically with a lot of fire,” Mustapha said.
A team captain at Wake Forest last season, Mustapha totaled three interceptions, four sacks, four forced fumbles and 10 passes defended in his three seasons there. He played his freshman year at Richmond during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
RB ISAAC GUERENDO >> A 6-foot, 221-pound rusher, he sped through the combine's 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds. He spent five years at Wisconsin before moving to Louisville last year. He averaged 6 yards per carry in his college career.
WR JACOB COWING >> The 49ers now have drafted two Arizona-born wide receivers (Ricky Pearsall, first round) to target for Queen Creek native Brock Purdy.
Cowing (5-8, 168-pound) is a fast option out of the slot, having covered the combine's 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds.
OL JARRETT KINGSTON >> Strength and athleticism are packed into Kingston's 6-4, 306-pound frame. He acknowledges he doesn't have the arm length (32 1/8 inches) to play as an NFL tackle, like he did at Washington State. But 36 benchpress reps were among this draft class' top marks.
LB TATUM BETHUNE >> After drafting two linebackers last year, the 49ers added one more to the fray with their final pick of this draft. Bethune hails from the same Florida State defense as cornerback Rendardo Green, the 49ers' second-round pick.
A 5-11, 227-pound linebacker, Bethune ran one of the slowest 40-yard dashes (4.75 seconds). He adds depth to a unit that could be missing starter Dre Greenlaw the first month of the season as he recovers from his Achilles tear in the Super Bowl.