San Francisco 49ers rookie Malik Mustapha adjusts to NFL life in Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – With four minutes and 44 seconds left in the first half of the San Francisco 49ers’ first pre-season game against the Tennessee Titans, Malik Mustapha made a name for himself.

The 22-year-old rookie safety had a monster hit that invigorated the 49ers’ defense attempting to make a goal-line stand. 

Four days after the electrifying tackle, in a one–on-one interview with KTVU, Mustapha said that was just the beginning. 

Right now, he’s focused on adjusting to life in the NFL both on and off the field. 

Mustapha, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, had never been to the Bay Area before being selected by the 49ers, and like many first-timers, he was shocked by the cold summer weather.  

“I didn’t realize how cold San Francisco got,” Mustapha said with a laugh. “Santa Clara might be 80, next thing you know, it feels like 40 or something when I get to San Francisco.”

The first thing he did in San Francisco? Rent a small yellow GoCar and take in all the sights, sounds and food. 

As a self-described Hibachi connoisseur, he said he has yet to find any Hibachi in the Bay Area that compares to that of the South, where he is from. 

He was disappointed at the lack of “YumYum” sauce, a mayo-based Japanese steak house sauce mainly used on grilled shrimp, chicken and vegetables. 

“One of the waitresses looked at me like I was crazy when I asked for it,” Mustaha said laughing. “That was an adjustment for me.”

On the field, Mustapha wants to be a sponge and soak up as much knowledge from his teammates as he can. 

Fellow safety Talanoa Hufanga took Mustapha under his wing when he arrived in Santa Clara, even inviting him to his daughter’s first birthday party. 

That gesture made a big impact on Mustapha, who moved across the country without any family nearby. 

“It was nice being around a lot of family, me coming here alone, it’s an adjustment, but at the same time I know I am here,” Mustapha said. “I know what I want to set up for my future.”

Off the field, Mustapha’s siblings are the driving force behind his desire to dominate on the field. 

“They came into my life at a young age and changed my life for the better,” Mustapha said. “I had to be a second mom to them, but I depended on them as much as they depended on me.”

Mariam, 10, and Muhamahed, 12, live more than 7,800 miles away in Nigeria with Mustapha’s father.

“I rarely see them, that’s why I’m trying to get to a point where I do what I’m supposed to do and get them over here and move them back to the States,” Mustapha said. 

He wants to bring his siblings to the U.S. to finish school and go to college, and Mustapha hopes football will be the catalyst to make that a reality. 

“I always live by a quote: prove yourself right don’t prove other people wrong,” Mustapha said. “I don’t think I’ve arrived in any shape or form but at the same time I feel like I’ve taken a step in the right direction.”