Safety is one of the 49ers’ most overlooked needs this offseason.

They have Malik Mustapha who played well at times last season as a rookie. But he is not a proven player. He’s promising.

They also have Ji’Ayir Brown who played well at times as a rookie in 2023. He was promising, too. Then, he regressed dramatically in 2024 and got benched for Talanoa Hufanga, who recently signed a multi-year deal with the Denver Broncos.

The 49ers also have Jason Pinnock, a veteran they recently signed to a cheap one-year deal.

Right now, the projected starters are Mustapha and Pinnock. Which means the 49ers probably will spend one of their top picks in the upcoming draft on a safety. That’s why I project them to take Texas safety Andrew Mukuba with their compensatory pick in Round 3 (No. 100 overall).

Mukuba is a 5’11” free safety who ran a 4.45 40-yard dash at the Combine in February. He’s similar to young Jimmie Ward, who was the 49ers’ first-round pick in 2014.

Like Ward, Mukuba is built like a cornerback, he can cover slot receiver and tight ends and play the deep middle of the field as well. He’s not quite as good of a tackler as Ward, but he’s not a bad tackler, either. If he were better, he wouldn’t be available at the end of Round 3.

Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh wants to infuse more speed in the 49ers’ defensive backfield. Mukuba will do just that.