Niners Nation
Has 49ers rookie Upton Stout put himself in position to start in Week 1? (paywall)
“It wasn’t that long ago when the 23-year-old Stout played as Warner in the “Madden NFL” video game. The fact they communicate with each other on a play-by-play basis has been surreal for Stout, who can be almost too critical of himself at times. He said he just doesn’t want to be a letdown for his teammates, Warner especially.
In his latest KNBR radio appearance, Warner didn’t sound too disappointed: “Right now the guy that’s sticking out to me most, I got to say Upton Stout. Probably the smallest dog in the fight, but the biggest dog in here (points to heart) where it counts. … The guy’s got it.”
Stout has a tendency to nitpick the smallest mistakes from what his coaches may consider a good practice; he has had a lot of those lately.
Not many 49ers defensive backs have challenged wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, a first-round talent, the way Stout has in 1-on-1 and 11-on-11 work.
Stout left his feet to break up a pass from Brock Purdy that was intended for Pearsall at the start of the week. Stout has recorded his fair share of diving PBUs this summer. And even when he loses a rep, his effort wins. Pearsall beat Stout on a couple of earlier routes in that same practice, including a comeback that left the rookie slightly out of position. No matter. Stout hustled through the whistle to rip the ball away from the team’s training camp WR1 (in lieu of injuries to Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings).“
Trent Williams navigates going out on top, while guiding a young 49ers tackle behind him (paywall)
“Obviously, we clicked,” Williams said Friday. “He’s like a little brother to me now. I love him to death.” (The two actually share a birthday on July 19, which is great for Burford, as Williams owns his own jet and likes to spoil himself. “He goes big,” Burford said, smiling, “and I get to hang out in the background sometimes too.”)
Burford said that Williams “guides me in the right direction, on and off the field,” but working out with the veteran in the offseason did take some getting used to.
“It’s like working out with a coach,” Burford said. “A lot of guys, when they approach you to work out, it’s just to get it done, it’s something that they have to do. But with Trent, he loves it — it’s a lot more details, a lot more focus and a lot more attention. Everything you do is intentional — whether it’s 16 steps this way, 16 steps that way, how you eat, how you sleep.”
The two have been working out together in Houston in the offseason, and this summer, both Williams and Foerster think something really clicked….Williams holds a camp for young offensive linemen at his gym in Houston, and Burford showed up weeks earlier than usual.
“He was just there...
