Niners Nation
A rookie could have the inside hold on a starting job on defense.
The San Francisco 49ers are right in the middle of training camp, as battles for starting roles have begun.
With a younger roster, there’s less certainty with the team this offseason, which means more spots are available to grab heading into the preseason. One of those spots is the third cornerback behind starters Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green.
The 49ers didn’t make many notable moves this offseason, especially in free agency, but they did add former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tre Brown on a one-year, $1.7 million deal.
That contract doesn’t guarantee Brown any roster spot, but the veteran cornerback has reportedly been working primarily with the first-team defense, seeing time in the nickel and the outside.
However, third-round rookie Upton Stout is on his tail, looking to earn the nickel spot in his first year with the team. And defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is taking notice, while pointing out that the third cornerback spot is ‘wide open’.
“Upton, he is a straining, scrappy young man,” Saleh said on Friday. “Don’t fall asleep on his size. The guy plays way bigger than he is, and way bigger than he looks. He’s got a violence to him. He’s got a violence to his demeanor. So, he’s coming along really well, too, in that regard.”
That followed head coach Kyle Shanahan’s comments on Stout from earlier in the week, acknowledging the hope for him taking over as the team’s nickelback.
“We were hoping he would be capable of that when we took him,” Shanahan said Thursday. “We knew that was a position that was open for us. He looked really good in OTAs, and he has looked the same here in these first two weeks.
“So, not crowning him yet, but so far, he has been doing a hell of a job, and hopefully, he can keep getting better at it.”
Stout’s physicality and athleticism were factors that stood out as a prospect leading into the NFL Draft. NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein had the following to say about the Western Kentucky product ahead of the draft:
“An undersized cornerback who spent much of his time playing wide corner, Stout has the twitch and athleticism to project inside,” Zierlein wrote. “What he lacks in length he makes up for with his competitiveness. He’s a natural pattern reader with the hips and feet to match breaks without giving up much separation.
“There are times he fails to trust his cover talent, holding and grabbing without cause. He’s fairly instinctive and has the short-area burst to squeeze throwing windows. Stout’s physical profile could hurt his draft standing, but the determination and athleticism will be hard to ignore.”
The 49ers have prepared well for the future at the cornerback position over the last few years. They prioritized an extension with Deommodore Lenoir, getting him under contract for the next five years. Then, to account for Charvarius Ward’s expected departure in free agency, they drafted...
