ESPN names 49ers' nickel cornerback Upton Stout ‘under-the-radar' rookie
ESPN names 49ers' nickel cornerback Upton Stout under-the-radar' rookie originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Rookie 49ers cornerback Upton Stout quickly has made a name for himself, and it appears as though his reputation is reaching a national audience well beyond the confines of the greater San Francisco area.
ESPN's Matt Miller recently listed Stout No. 3 on his list of under-the-radar rookies," highlighting the electric cornerback's fiesty demeanor and short-area quickness as invaluable traits.
The slot cornerback position in San Francisco was among the team's top needs headed into the draft," Miller wrote. Finding Stout in the third round allowed the 49ers to check off that box early. He is undersized (5-foot-9, 181 pounds) but also feisty and fast with excellent short-area quickness. Stout has been sidelined recently with a calf injury, but he should be the starting slot cornerback when healthy."
San Francisco selected Stout No. 100 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft after the 23-year-old starred at Western Kentucky. Stout made an immediate impact on general manager John Lynch, who described their phone conversation as the best draft call" he'd ever had.
Lynch also offered high praise for Stout's efforts on the field, comparing the rookie to former Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammate and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Ronde Barber.
This whole class has been good, but I'll tell you, Upton Stout, you don't have to have a real trained, you just come to practice," Lynch said on KNBR's Murph & Markus." You always have to be careful making comparisons to Hall of Fame players, but I played with a nickel [in Tampa Bay in] Ronde Barber, and they wear the same number - the fiestiness, the competitor that Upton is, and that kind of drives his entire game. Now you have to have a skillset, and Upton certainly has that."
Stout missed the 49ers' preseason slate while dealing with a calf injury, but returned to practice earlier this week and appears on track for a substantial role in Week 1 when San Francisco takes on the Seahawks in Seattle.
His days of flying under the radar might not last much longer if he continues on this upward trajectory.