Video: An interview with Wake Forest safety Malik Mustapha

February 23, 2024 /

One of my favourite players in the draft, it was great to spend some time chatting to Malik Mustapha this week. I think you’re really going to like him.

Main

38 Comments

  1. Ghost Mutt

    Awesome interview Rob, Malik seems like a great dude.

    I reckon the face you made when he said “run through someone’s face” is the same one you made the first time your wife said “I love you” 😂

    • Rob Staton (Post author)

      😂😂😂😂

      • cha

        Find someone who looks at you the way Rob looks at Malik.

    • Sea Mode

      😂

  2. LouCityHawk

    Dumb question:

    Does it help you more if I watch this on YouTube proper or embedded on the web page? Or does it matter?

    Watching the embedded version now.

    • Rob Staton (Post author)

      I think either counts the same

      • LouCityHawk

        Great interview and an impressive young man. I really love content like this, because the national media tends to focus on the same 10 to 20 players over and over again.

        shocking to kick around some of the different draft projections and see him so low.

        I firmly believe that DeJean is the safety in this class, but Mustapha (having studied him more) should be in the conversation for the second safety off the board.

    • AlexHawk

      Probably worth clicking on YouTube and liking the video as well, I think that helps it pop up on other people’s feeds more!

  3. Peter

    Pretty much every goofy mock I run he’s one player I actively attempt to get. Witherspoon and Mustapha playing off each other would be quite the thing.

  4. no frickin clue

    Love this video. Thanks Rob.

    One question I would love for you to ask in these video segments – what opposing player gave you the most trouble in college? Would love to hear what these guys have to say, whether it’s just something stylistically they found challenging, the repertoire of moves they brought onto the field, etc.

  5. Julian

    Great interview Rob. I’ve always admired your interview technique, calm, measured, informed and let the interviewee speak without interruptions. Do you have any mentors in your line of work, who’ve influenced your style?

    • Rob Staton (Post author)

      Not really in that sense, I’ve been around a few good interviewers at the BBC and my favourite is Andrew Neil a political interviewer. But appreciate the kind words

  6. Taylor

    He’s gonna be a star.

  7. Blackthorn

    This is flippin awesome!

    Malik seems like a great blend of talent, self confidence, smarts and determination.

    It’ll be very fun to see how his career unfolds. In a Seahawks uniform. 🤞

    Great interview Rob, thank you.

    • Rob Staton (Post author)

      Thanks Blackthorn 👍

  8. Troy

    Great interview Rob. I tried digging up more info, and while Malik had tons of positives https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Malik-Mustapha-DB-WakeForest, it also mentions that he gets beat over the top too much. Is this something you considered asking or did you notice this when evaluating his tape?

    • Rob Staton (Post author)

      It’s not something I saw as a problem on tape

  9. cha

    Ian Rapoport
    @RapSheet
    Salary cap news:

    The NFL announced that the 2024 Salary Cap will be $255.4M per club, with an additional $74M per club payment for player benefits, which includes Performance Based Pay and benefits for retired players. Total 2024 player costs will be $329.4M per club, or more than $10.5B league-wide.

    The unprecedented $30M increase per club in this year’s Salary Cap is the result of the full repayment of all amounts advanced by the clubs and deferred by the players during the Covid pandemic as well as an extraordinary increase in media revenue for the 2024 season.
    9:48 AM · Feb 23, 2024

    If you were complaining about Taylor Swift being at NFL games, you are not allowed to be happy that there is more cap money to go around.

    That’s the rule, folks.

    • cha

      OTC has the Seahawks at $12.969m of cap room / $7.896m effective space

      • Denver Hawker

        So we didn’t need to adjust Geno’s cap after all? Or should we assume they knew this was coming and LW signing is imminent?

        • ShowMeYourHawk

          This was my first thought, as well. I mean, it looks like they have even MORE available cap space with the move and the announced league cap. I can’t imagine that JS would’ve just made a move without some input from the league as to where things were going but this team’s cap decisions have been less than ideal for a while, so who knows?

        • cha

          The Geno restructure and the release of this new cap number are completely unrelated in my opinion.

          • Blitzy the Clown

            They will either trade or keep Geno. He won’t be cut.

            To make him easier to trade, or easier to keep on the cap, they reduced his current year hit at the expense of some cap space next year.

            But assuming he isn’t on the roster in 2025, the extra cap hit next year won’t be a big deal because the overall cap went up so much.

            Sound right?

            • cha

              I can get with all that, yeah.

        • Elmer

          I assume that they knew.

      • Elmer

        I assume that the additional $74MM is managed separately from the cap. Is that right? Thanks!

        • cha

          Yes

    • PatrickH

      The extra cap room can probably be the difference between keeping Tyler Lockette or cutting him.

  10. Blitzy the Clown

    I truly appreciate your interviewing style Rob. In the same way you put the effort into your articles, it’s clear you do your homework on your subject and you ask cogent, intriguing questions. You give your subject his best opportunity to show who he is.

    It’s only a matter of time before more eyes find your YouTube channel.

    I should think you’ll become a hot stop in the predraft mediasphere for prospects looking to showcase something more.

    • Rob Staton (Post author)

      Thanks Blitzy, that’s kind of you to say

  11. Brodie

    That was a great interview. Appreciate Malik being thoughtful with the questions. I think it shows an ability to think on your toes and react to what is being presented to you. Excited to see where his career takes him.

    • Rob Staton (Post author)

      Thanks Brodie 👍

  12. Sea Mode

    Is it MA-lick or mah-LEEK?

    (Sorry, I don’t know how to write correctly phonetically, but I hope you get the idea.)

    Asking because I heard commentators on highlights saying the former, which I never would have thought.

  13. Palatypus

    EXOS wrapping up NFL Combine training here in Pensacola, just before Pensacon kicks in.

    https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3kri1yLG8i/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

    BTW which do you think is the best photo opp deal on Saturday?

    A) Kelly Maroney (Night of the Comet) $40.00
    B) Olivia D’Abo (Conan the Destroyer) $50.00
    C) Mira Sorvino (The Replacement Killers) $70.00

  14. JimQ

    Also, from nfldraftbuzz.com
    “”Made Bruce Feldman’s ‘Freaks List’ at number 59. He wrote: “The 5-10, 205 junior is a 1,300-pound lifter (that includes his bench, squat and clean) and has vertical-jumped 36 1/2 inches this offseason. He also plays really, really fast, having hit 23 MPH on the GPS in a game.”””

    • Palatypus

      My niece did 1200 in a powerlifting tournament here in Florida and set a world record in the squat.

  15. JimQ

    S-Tyler Owens, Texas Tech.
    A sleeper Safety in the draft? Likely an UDFA currently.
    https://www.lonestarlive.com/college/2024/02/nfl-combine-profile-is-texas-tech-db-tyler-owens-among-the-most-exciting-athletes-in-the-draft.html

© 2024 Seahawks Draft Blog

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑