49ers rookie sought advice from retired NFL CB who spent five seasons in San Francisco

The San Francisco 49ers used six of their 11 selections in the 2025 NFL draft on the defensive side of the ball, and while a few of them have flashed during training camp, cornerback Upton Stout has been one of the most impressive.

Stout, 23, was a three-star recruit out of North Shore High School in Houston, Texas before committing to play his college ball at North Texas. After two years with the Mean Green, he transferred to Western Kentucky for his final three collegiate seasons.

The 5-foot-8 cornerback earned All-Conference honors three times and FCS All-American honors twice while recording 166 tackles (12 for a loss), 15 passes defensed, six interceptions, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovered in 45 career games between both stops.

Now in San Francisco, Stout is competing for the starting nickel cornerback job in training camp, and while he’s adjusting to the NFL game, he’s also learning by watching a former 49ers defensive back’s tape.

“When guys come in, we show them how to play the position from the guys who played the position at a high level to show how it should be done,” 49ers defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks recently told NBC Sports. “We show them the previous guys that played their position in our scheme, and one of the guys that was the best player at it in our scheme was K’Waun Williams.”

Williams played in 65 games and started 36 for San Francisco from 2017-21, recording 224 tackles (19 for a loss), 17 passes defensed, eight forced fumbles, five sacks, four interceptions and a fumble recovery.

However, not only did Stout watch Williams on film, the rookie reached out to the now-retired cornerback for advice.

“The thing that stood out the most was he reached out to K’Waun Williams on his own on social media,” Bullocks said. “And K’Waun got back to him and they connected. K’Waun sent him clips and all that, so that’s very exciting for a young guy. It says a lot about who he is as a player and a person.”

Earlier this week, Stout also shared his own feelings on learning from Williams, as he tries to earn his spot in his first NFL training camp.

“I really was just reaching out to him just so I could just pick his brain and see how he played a lot of concepts, techniques and things like that,” Stout told local media. “I’m really just trying to figure out how I can be the best me but always knowing what the standard was before I came in. I just wanted to see what the standard was and see if I could surpass that standard.”

Adjusting to the NFL is never an easy task for young players, but Stout seems to be taking advantage of his opportunities on the field and going the extra mile to seek wisdom from former players who were in Robert Saleh’s system before. That should set him up for success going forward.

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Rookie CB Upton Stout got advice from former 49ers CB K’Waun Williams