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Why the 49ers Drafted Nickelback Upton Stout

Stout was projected to get picked in Round 5.
Grant Cohn|
Dec 21, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Western Kentucky Hilltoppers defensive back Upton Stout (21) reacts after intercepting a pass against the South Alabama Jaguars during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Dec 21, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Western Kentucky Hilltoppers defensive back Upton Stout (21) reacts after intercepting a pass against the South Alabama Jaguars during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

SANTA CLARA -- Upton Stout was projected to get picked in Round 5.

So when the 49ers took him at the end of Round 3, lots of people were surprised. After they made the pick, John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan explained why they made it so early.

LYNCH: "It was really fortunate that he was still there at 100. It was getting a little hairy, but he hung on...He's got the heart of a lion, and he’s got a lot of qualities we really like and I think translate well to the nickel position. I played with, Ronde Barber and these guys, Upton, I don’t know him that well, he came on a 30 visit and feisty is the word I would describe to his play, his demeanor. And he’s got a lot of juice that was as good a call as we’ve ever had, calling a kid letting him know. Yeah, I think he’s still saying, ‘let’s do it’. So that was fun and good day for the Niners."

SHANAHAN: "We probably see Upton definitely as an inside player. So, that was a big need. The way it fell, especially in the draft, but DMo can do either, but I think it’s easier for a guy when he can stay at one spot. So, we will work that through OTAs and training camp and see how it ends up."

ME: Do you see any similarities between Upton Stout and a young former 49ers cornerback K’Wuan Williams?

LYNCH: "Yes. Good call."

SHANAHAN: "Yes."

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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