The San Francisco 49ers have been the bully of the Seattle Seahawks' NFC West for much of the past decade. But in 2024, Kyle Shanahan’s crew witnessed a significant fall-off. Whether due to injury or age, the message seemed clear. It was time for a fresh start in the Bay.
The symbolic representation of that change came with the trade of star wideout Deebo Samuel, but an even bigger change occurred in the defensive backfield. Former All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga departed for Denver. At cornerback, Charvarius Ward, Isaac Yiadom, Rock Ya-Sin, and Nick McCloud all found new homes for 2025. That’s almost 1,300 snaps disappeared from the corner position.
John Lynch began replenishing at the end of the third round of the 2025 draft. His choice – Western Kentucky’s Upton Stout – seems like a bit of a reach.
49ers rookie will be thrown into the fire if asked to play major snaps versus Seahawks
Stout certainly has some intriguing attributes, but his size – 5’9” and 181 pounds – had him much lower on most draft boards than the third round. He has excellent speed and was very active in college, but he would seem to be a limited player.
His size makes it virtually impossible for him to play anywhere other than the slot, where the Niners already have arguably their best remaining secondary defender in Deommodore Lenoir.
Lenoir can move to the perimeter. If that is ultimately new defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s plan with the Stout pick, Seattle Seahawks fans should be licking their chops. The thought of an undersized, aggressive rookie trying to match up with Cooper Kupp in the slot is almost too good to be true.
At Western Kentucky, Stout didn’t exactly face NFL-caliber receivers week in and week out. Last year, although the Hilltoppers did open the season against Alabama (with a 63-0 loss), the majority of their games were against teams like Sam Houston and Kennesaw State. Stout performed very well against that level of competition.
But Kupp, who has 5 inches and 25 pounds on him, poses a different challenge. The fact that the new Seahawks receiver is also among the most savvy route runners in the league makes the challenge all the more daunting.
One of Stout’s best qualities is his aggressiveness. He will challenge opposing receivers. That led to him being flagged 16 times over three seasons at Western Kentucky. That is the very thing that opposing coaches and veteran receivers will look to exploit in the NFL. You can bet that Klint Kubiak and Cooper Kupp will target Stout if he is asked to log significant minutes as a rookie.
If Saleh does not plan on asking him to do that, it’s hard to see why San Fran made the pick, especially in the third round. There were plenty of other options available at cornerback when the Niners were on the clock. Louisville’s Quincy Riley and Virginia Tech’s Dorian Strong would appear to be more versatile options.
Both have good speed but also have the length and experience to line up inside or outside.
It’s possible that San Fran fell in love with a very particular aspect of Stout’s profile. They didn’t make the choice haphazardly. If that’s the case, they almost certainly could have waited on him. With two more picks in the fourth round, he would likely have still been available for them on Saturday.
Maybe Stout only plays in sub-packages as a rookie. That seems like a bit of a waste for a third-rounder. If Saleh does envision moving Lenoir outside and having Stout take over in the slot, then he might not want to make that move until after San Fran plays Seattle. If Upton Stout is starting in the slot for San Fran this year, make sure you have Cooper Kupp in your fantasy lineup that week.