2021 NFL draft evaluations: 49ers saw Talanoa Hufanga’s toughness

Matt Zemek (Trojans Wire)  —  Five USC Trojans were drafted in 2021. While Tyler Vaughns might have found a good situation with the Indianapolis Colts, he joined the team as an undrafted free agent.

Among the five draft picks from USC, Talanoa Hufanga found the best situation with the San Francisco 49ers.

We continue our series in which we feature what our NFL Wire partner sites are saying about the USC Trojans who have joined professional ball clubs.

This is what our partners at Niners Wire had to say upon learning that Talanoa Hufanga would become a 49er:

Hufanga did a little bit of everything for the Trojans during his three years there. In 24 games, he racked up 203 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, four interceptions and eight pass breakups.

The 49ers don’t have a ton of depth at safety, nor do they have many long-term options there.

Hufanga doesn’t have the kind of range to play the Jimmie Ward role at free safety, but he has the skills near the line of scrimmage to play strong safety in the 49ers’ defense. He’s an extremely willing tackler who looks like a linebacker at times, but Hufanga is more than capable of playing coverage in short areas in the middle of the field against running backs and tight ends.

He needs a little development, but he has the tools to contribute on special teams right away and projects long-term as a strong safety.

Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers get their players to play with force. This is something Clay Helton has largely failed to cultivate at USC, but if anyone on the Trojans’ 2020 defense DID in fact play with force, it was Hufanga, the man who constantly was in the right place at the right time. His nose for the ball and his feel for the game enabled him to rescue the Trojans several times in the truncated Pac-12 season. The 49ers saw this high football IQ, combined with an appetite for battle, and gained what will likely be viewed as one of the better steals of the 2021 NFL draft.

Trojans Wire

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