After seven weeks of the 2026 season, the San Francisco 49ers have established themselves as one of the NFL’s hottest teams. They enter Week 8 at 6-1 and aim to carry that momentum into their bye week.
Their star players have continued to perform at or above expectations. This includes players like Brock Purdy, Fred Warner, George Kittle, Mike Evans, and Christian McCaffrey.
However, being a top team doesn’t just happen because of your star players’ performances. The NFL is a team sport. San Francisco’s entire roster has played its role in making it the league’s best team.
That said, the 49ers have many unsung heroes who don’t get the media attention they deserve compared to the superstars. They have the same, or even greater, impact.
Malik Mustapha
San Francisco has the obvious stars on defense like Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Dre Greenlaw, and Deommodore Lenoir. However, one player has elevated the secondary and the defense as a whole: Malik Mustapha.
The 49ers selected Mustapha in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He has been the enforcer in the secondary with 176 total tackles, one fumble recovery, and two interceptions.
Unfortunately, Malik Mustapha missed most of the 2026 training camp due to a hamstring strain. As a result, he fell behind safeties Ji’Ayir Brown and Marques Sigle before the season began.
Now seven games into the season, Mustapha has asserted himself in the defense. He played major roles in the win over the Washington Commanders and last week’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Making a big tackle against Washington late in the game with 2:19 left on 3rd & 3. Then making a game-saving pass breakup on 4th down, which was perhaps the play of the game for San Francisco.
Currently, Malik Mustapha has 28 total tackles, one fumble recovery, and three passes defended this year. At this pace, Mustapha could put together a career season. He could also cement his reputation as San Francisco’s defensive enforcer.
Renardo Green
Another key factor in San Francisco’s solid defense, alongside Mustapha, is third-year defensive back Renardo Green.
Green hasn’t had an easy time in his first two years for the 49ers, as quarterbacks have constantly targeted him and wide receivers and offenses have taken advantage of him.
Many remember the moment in last season’s NFC Divisional Round against the Seattle Seahawks where Green was being constantly chewed out by Head Coach Kyle Shanahan and was eventually benched. Most thought this would permanently stain his career.
Before this season started, Renardo Green came in with something to prove. He had only 121 total tackles, one forced fumble, and one interception in his career.
Now, seven weeks into the new season, Green has proven why he should be a permanent starter. He has 26 tackles, five passes defended, and three interceptions. This is tied for first with five players.
Sometimes in the National Football League, a player needs to go through rough patches to finally unlock their potential. This is starting to look like the case for Renardo Green.
Kaelon Black
Sometimes, football statistics don’t show everything a player has to offer because of the role they play. One example this season is backup running back Kaelon Black.
Black was selected 90th overall in the third round of the 2026 NFL draft. His main purpose was simply to be a backup plan. This was in case something severe happened to star running back Christian McCaffrey during the season.
Although the stats may not support it, Kaelon Black has played an important part in the 49ers’ offense that most of the media doesn’t seem to see. Moreover, he is taking a lot of weight from players like McCaffrey and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan.
As of now, Black has 57 carries for 233 yards, averaging 4.1 yards per carry, which doesn’t sound impressive to most.
However, he has done an exceptional job taking the weight off Christian McCaffrey’s shoulders and has had six or more carries in the last three games, which can make a difference for a running back.
By Week 8 of last season, McCaffrey had 140 total carries compared to only 84 this season, which has helped the superstar stay healthy this far into the season before a bye week.
When a coach has a player like Kaelon Black to help star players take a step away for a certain amount of time in order to stay fresh in the later weeks, it not only helps Shanahan keep the offense rolling, but also helps his teammates, which most media doesn’t talk about enough.
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