If Talanoa Hufanga isn't ready to go by Week 1, then the 49ers will have to choose between George Odum or Malik Mustapha to be the starter.
Talanoa Hufanga is slated for that role, but there is no telling when he'll be ready and if the 49ers will trot him out immediately. He's having his knee checked up today, so Kyle Shanahan will have an update on it for Friday when he speaks following practice.
Let's first take a look at what coaches are saying about each player. Starting off with Mustapha, he is surely a player the 49ers would like to see earn the starting job. I'm sure fans would too. It's always exciting to see a new player, especially a rookie, emerge and become impactful. "I loved how he played. You could see how he did it on special teams. He had no hesitation. He's a hitter, but sometimes guys get in that first game and they slow down a little bit and he was the opposite."
“Someone who cut it loose the entire game and played physical," said Sorensen on his assessment of Mustapha. "The stuff that we saw on tape in college, why we loved him, really a violent player. He played smart too, as far as being able to communicate, being in the right spots, that he didn't hesitate and played with the violent finishes that you saw and everyone saw. It was really cool. Really, he had a good game.
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