San Francisco 49ers standout Joey Bosa popped off about the importance of Thursday’s game against the Seahawks, and George Kittle suited up despite an injury. And then 49ers rookie Malik Mustapha got his first career interception on the first drive of the game, according to a post on X by TheSFNiners.

“#49ers Malik Mustapha first career INT came EARLY vs Seattle”

Mustapha came to the 49ers via the 2024 NFL Draft. They grabbed him in the fourth round. In his first five games of the season, he totaled two passes defended and 11 tackles.

49ers are high on DB Malik Mustapha

San Francisco 49ers safety Malik Mustapha (6) gestures after defending a pass against the Arizona Cardinals during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium.
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

San Francisco likes what they’ve seen out of Mustapha so far, according to comments by general manager John Lynch to 49erswebzone.com. Lynch compared Mustapha to an NFL star.

“You're going to see him play full speed all the time,” Lynch said of Mustapha. “Reminds me a lot of (Cardinals S) Budda Baker, who we saw play, in terms of his just 100 percent effort all the time. There's some things he can clean up in terms of his eyes. I think you only do that through playing. Particularly at that position, there's a lot going on.

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“And there's an old saying my old coach, Monte Kiffin, used to (say)— ‘See a little, see a lot. See a lot, see nothing.' And so, I think just focusing and honing his eyes, and you only do that through the experience of playing.”

It’s not just one or two things, Lynch said he sees the full package from the young player.

“He brings a lot to the table,” Lynch said. “He's a very studious guy. He's very Fred Warner-like, one of the first guys in here, one of the last to leave. His body, he's just sculpted because he works all day long. He does everything the right way. He's going to eat the right way. I'm really excited for Malik and the contributions.”

It’s important for Mustapha to develop quickly after an Talanoa Hufanga suffered an injury against the Cardinals on Sunday. Hufanga will be out at least a month, the 49ers said.

The 49ers entered Thursday’s game with four interceptions on the season. That tied them at No. 8 in the NFL.