SANTA CLARA — Seven months before cornerback Upton Stout became a member of the 49ers as a third-round draft pick, he made a strong first impression with his future position coach.
Ray Brown was on the sideline as defensive backs coach at Boston College for a late-September game against Western Kentucky. Stout was the vocal leader in the secondary for the Hilltoppers.
“He was a guy I noticed from the sideline, and I rarely ever watch when our offense is on the field because I’m busy trying to figure out what our guys are doing and how we can tweak some things for ourselves,” said Brown, who coached 15 seasons in the college ranks before joining the 49ers in February as cornerbacks coach.
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Stout had a solid game in Western Kentucky’s 21-20 loss at Boston College. He registered six tackles and supplied a quarterback hit.
But what caught Brown’s attention was Stout’s voice.
“I heard him quite a few times,” Brown said of Stout. “I actually looked up a couple times and I noticed him. Oh, yeah, you can hear him. You could hear him in communication. He knew exactly what those guys were doing, where people were supposed to be.
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“I thought he did a great job of being able to communicate what was happening in-between plays, after plays, before plays. The guy just communicates at a high level.”
The 49ers selected Stout with the No. 100 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The team envisions him stepping into the role as the 49ers’ top nickel back early in his career.
NFL teams generally deploy at least five defensive backs two-thirds of the time, so that means Stout has a chance to be an important part of the 49ers’ defense as a rookie.
It is a difficult assignment with a lot of responsibilities for Stout to master. But his new coach believes he is off to a good start since joining the 49ers’ offseason program.
“He just has come in every day and keep improving,” Brown said. “Play his style of ball. Continue to learn how to do things. Continue to understand the standard and just continue to do what he’s doing. I think he’s doing a really good job so far for a rookie.”