Arguably the worst position on the San Francisco 49ers in 2024 was safety.
Malik Mustapha was solid and promising, but aside from him, the 49ers received low-level performances from others. Ji'Ayir Brown, Talanoa Hufanga, and George Odum were disappointing.
Adding another safety was a goal of the 49ers entering the NFL draft, which is why they drafted Kansas State safety Marques Sigle in the fifth round at No. 160 overall.
However, they didn't just select him solely due to need. Sigle doesn't even play the safety position exclusively. He saw the majority of his snaps in the slot. What drew the 49ers to draft Sigle is his traits and versatility.
"Sigle. He's awesome," said John Lynch. "We love guys who can first of all, he's a bow-legged safety and like I told him, he can't go wrong with the bow-legged safety. So, he's played nickel. He's a guy who can really run. I never knew watching him on the field. I knew he was fast.
"I didn't see 4.32, and this guy, that is a blazing time, got a lot of versatility to his game. He's a good tackler. He eats up. We talk a lot, a term we use, is taking the grass and this is a guy who takes the grass. He takes the fight to the ball carrier to the receiver. I think he's going to be a really good fit for us.”
The 49ers don't envision Sigle at any specific position. The positions he played aren't what enticed them with him. It certainly helps, but the 49ers fell in love with his traits.
Drafting in the fifth round means the 49ers can take chances on a player who has intriguing traits. Rather, that is how a lot of teams should operate since Day 3 of the draft is a game of roulette.
With Sigle, the 49ers see a player who can improve if they develop him correctly. Sigle can be a positionless defender like how Robert Saleh wants his safeties to be.
Think Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt when Saleh was last with the 49ers. Both players were safeties in name, but could line up anywhere.
Sigle could potentially find himself rounding into those two players. At the very least, the 49ers know they have a very fast player.
If there is a top trait the 49ers value with their defenders, it is speed. They want to always play fast and give little to no ground.
Sigle has some ways to go before he can be that impactful defender. However, with Mustapha nursing an ACL injury, he has an open path to find a role on the defense.
All he has to do is compete with Brown, Odum, and Jason Pollock. If Sigles hits the ground running, he has a chance to be this year's Mustapha.
