The Niners addressed their nickel position with their final pick on Day 2 on Friday.
It’s been defense, defense, defense, and defense for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2025 NFL Draft, as they took Western Kentucky cornerback Upton Stout with the No. 100 pick in the third round on Friday.
Stout, a 5’9, 180-pound cornerback, is expected to be a nickel cornerback at the next level, and fits the 49ers’ style as an aggressive, physical corner with great athleticism for the position.
Here’s what The Athletic’s Dane Brugler said about the cornerback from Western Kentucky:
“A three-year starter at Western Kentucky, Stout lined up at nickel cornerback in defensive coordinator Tyson Summers’ scheme. After playing primarily on the outside his first four years in college, he moved inside for his senior season and raised his NFL profile (his ball production fell off in 2024, but he didn’t see nearly as many targets).
In coverage, Stout has a balanced pedal and pitter-pat footwork to cleanly mirror and stay attached to different types of route runners. His aggressive nature gives him a noticeable swagger versus both pass and run (he prefers press man to off man, because he wants in on the action). That aggressiveness will lead to flags and overzealous decisions, though. Overall, Stout’s lack of inches shows versus size in coverage, but so does his competitive urgency and controlled movements in all areas of the position. He projects as a slot cornerback who can be a role player similar to Avonte Maddox.”
Stout is a pure nickel cornerback, which takes away some of the versatility that San Francisco has in the secondary with Deommodore Lenoir. Now, the 49ers paid Lenoir a massive five-year, $92 million contract, and could place him on the outside with Stout in the slot, getting more value for their money.
But, the 49ers can’t move Lenoir inside if Stout’s in the nickel package, given the latter’s smaller frame. However, talking about the player specifically, once again, Stout matches what San Francisco is looking for in a cornerback: he’s physical, aggressive, and a great athlete.
Stout ran a 4.44 40-yard dash and a 1.51 10-yard split, both are which are great marks, and had a good vertical jump (37.5’’), broad jump (10’8’’), and bench press (21 reps). He’s also twitchy with his movements, which will be needed in the slot, and the physicality should match well in press coverage.
The question at cornerback will be regarding San Francisco passing on a number of talented outside cornerbacks in the third round. They elected not to draft East Carolina’s Shavon Revel (No. 76 to Dallas), a player projected to go in the first round if not for injury. Same goes for Kansas State’s Jacob Parrish (No. 84 to Tampa Bay) and Cal’s Nohl Williams (No. 85 to Kansas City).
But, this pick is a sign of confidence in Deommodore Lenoir on the outside, as well as the opportunity to get a potential Day 1 starter, even if it was a bit earlier than expected.
Nonetheless, San Francisco seems to have an identity that they’re following, and that has been seen with all four of their defensive picks so far. Now, they need their draftees to come in and impact the team early.
Stout is a solid player and probably would have gone in Round 4. He fits what the 49ers want. The questions aren’t really about the player, but rather the team’s direction, be it with the other cornerbacks available in the round, as well as players at other positions like the offensive line. So, we’ll go with a ‘B’ grade.
Grade: B