It has been difficult to ignore the amount of times San Francisco 49ers rookie cornerback Upton Stout has come up in training camp recaps. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has also taken notice.
The rookie third-round pick from Western Kentucky on Monday made another play against 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall that stuck out to reporters at the SAP Performance Center. ESPN’s Nick Wagoner described the play in his practice notes on Twitter:
Pearsall had two more catches but the lone target he didn’t haul in came when rookie CB Upton Stout ran an out route with him, broke on the ball and knocked it away. A nice play by the rook, who continues to impress teammates and coaches.
Shanahan spoke with reporters after practice and praised Stout for his readiness before offering an explanation of the intangible quality that has helped Stout make his case for the starting nickel CB job.
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“He’s made it the right stuff,” Shanahan said. “A lot of guys got to learn it, but he hasn’t had to learn it. You can tell he was that way in college because he came in right away like that. He’s on everything. He’s one of the bigger competitors that I’ve seen coming in as a rookie, and every day he is doing as much as he can on and off the field. That’s why he’s passing a lot of guys up.”
There’s still plenty of time for San Francisco’s coaching staff to sort out its depth chart. Stout’s quick acclimation to professional preparation is a great sign for a 49ers club that needs to find some mid-to-late-round gems. For first-year players it isn’t always talent that’s a problem, but rather their inability to properly ready themselves for practices. Stout already having that part nailed down should give him some momentum to grab a hold of the starting nickel CB job coming out of camp.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers rookies: CB Upton Stout quickly climbing depth chart