After a 6-11 season that saw them finish in fourth place in the NFC West, the San Francisco 49ers added some talent to their roster this offseason, who will hopefully help them climb in the division standings and make it back to the postseason. That new group includes 11 rookies that San Francisco selected in the 2025 NFL draft.
49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan focused on the defense early in the draft, attacking that side of the ball with their first five selections, including Western Kentucky cornerback Upton Stout, who the team took in the third round (No. 100 overall).
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Stout, 23, was a three-star recruit out of North Shore Senior High School in Houston, Texas, before beginning his collegiate career at North Texas. After two seasons with the Mean Green, he transferred to Western Kentucky in 2022 and spent the last three years with the Hilltoppers, earning All-CAA honors and FCS All-American honors twice.
At Western Kentucky, the 5-foot-8 cornerback was known for his talking on the field, and he wasn’t afraid to voice his displeasure with mistakes or poor effort from his teammates around the field.
“Every day wasn’t cream and cookies, right?” Hilltopers’ cornerbacks coach Da’Von Brown said (via San Francisco Chronicle). “I’d be lying to you if I told you that.”
The 49ers knew about Stout’s demeanor during his time at Western Kentucky, and they actually view some of those things as positives.
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“We were aware,” 49ers director of player personnel Tariq Ahmad said. “We did a lot of background work on him. … When someone is so passionate and so competitive, it’s possible not everyone responds to that or enjoys working with that type of person. But we have to figure out: Do they love football? And is the passion coming from a good place? Our scouts do a great job filtering through all of that. And we felt really comfortable with Upton.”
On top of that, 49ers area scout Warren Ball said the cornerback had the “heart of a lion” and “absolutely loved what Upton Stout was about.”
It’s unclear exactly what role Stout will play in San Francisco as a rookie, but there’s a chance that he competes with Deommodore Lenoir for the starting nickel cornerback job throughout training camp and into the preseason. Stout’s demanding personality may be exactly what the unit needs to get back to their physical brand of defense after giving up the fourth-most points per game (25.6) in 2024.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: College coaches say 49ers CB Upton Stout could be tough to deal with
