HOUSTON – Upton Stout officially became an NFL player Friday night when the San Francisco 49ers drafted him in the third round.
The former North Shore state champion cornerback and Western Kentucky standout who excelled at the Senior Bowl all-star game got drafted despite a lack of ideal size. He more than makes up for it with skill, athleticism, instincts and heart.
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Stout had an emotional call with the 49ers celebrating his selection as he talked with Hall of Fame defensive back and general manager John Lynch, coach Kyle Shanahan and owner Jed York
“I was excited,” Stout told KPRC 2. “Once I got on the phone and it was John Lynch, I told him, ‘You got a dawg.’ I knew that was a place I wanted to be when I had my visit. Being able to learn from John Lynch, it’s incredible. It means everything. The 49ers have a legacy. It’s about me try to keep building that legacy and me trying to keep that momentum going.
“I want to go in there and contribute and figure out what I can do to help us win more games. Just go in there and contribute, pick brains and be a better pro. It’s just me showing the personality and me being myself. They know the player they were getting. They knew everything about me. It’s just me being me.”
Stout has been training for years with elite NFL defensive backs trainer Jacory Nichols. Stout has the kind of playmaking ability and speed teams covet.
“For sure, it’s a dream come true,” Stout told KPRC 2 before the draft. “I feel like it’s part of my testimony, part of life right now and it’s going to be greater achievements in life. It just feels like it is one I’m scratching off the list for right now.
“It’s been fun just learning new things from all the different teams and really just the feedback. They’re just telling me to keep going, keep the chip on my shoulder, just keep that dawg mentality that I have because that’s going to take me far. If I keep that mentality, I could be a great player in the league one day.”
Growing up in Houston, Stout has always overcome any adversity or doubters.
That includes those who choose to focus on his lack of ideal height at 5-foot-8, 1/2 and 181 pounds. Stout, though, packs a lot of power into his frame and has rare athletic traits. At the combine, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds with a 1.51 10-yard split.
Stout had an impressive 37 1/2 vertical leap and a 10-8 broad jump, the kind of hops that can be an equalizer against taller receivers. He isn’t big, but he is strong. He bench pressed 225 pounds 21 times, as many times as many linemen and linebackers.
The Houston native doesn’t focus on the feedback, though.
“I try to stay away from it,” Stout said. “I hear some of it, like when I was at the Senior Bowl, all the player comps, but I try to stay away from it. I feel like I’m my own type of player.
“A dawg, the same thing you want from a 6-2 corner you can get out of me, but it’s just I’m not there. I feel like I’m a dawg, My mentality separates me from a lot of the players. I feel like that’s just me in a short sum. I’m a dawg.”
Indeed. Stout was named the Defensive Back of the Week at the prestigious Senior Bowl all-star game for the American squad.
An All-Conference USA selection and Jim Thorpe award watch list pick, Stout started every game in his final season and recorded 52 tackles with a team-high 7 1/2 for losses with one sack, one interception and three quarterback hurries.
“A feisty player, but very technical and can run,” Nichols said. “I think a guy that overall just wants to be on the field. You get a lot of guys that can move around and play ball, but, when you get a guy that actually wants to be out there, they’re just taking it to another level.
“He’s getting a lot of buzz and I’m excited because this is what we always sought it to be for him. We always knew he was going to be undersized. One thing that’s going to set him apart, too, is just his ball skills and how he attacks the ball in the air. Rather than get a guy that’s 6-2, or 5-8, 5-9, being able to attack the ball is one thing that sets him apart.”
Most smart quarterbacks avoided throwing in his direction.
“I was able to compete against anybody,” Stout said. “Being at WKU didn’t mean that we were short of talent. I went out there and showed that I could compete against the best. I’m not here trying to show everybody I’m the best. No, I am one of the best players out here.
“I just stay grounded. I don’t worry about all the outside noise. At the end of the day, if you stay faithful and you keep your trust in the man above, you’re going to win.”
Two seasons ago, Stout had 29 tackles despite missing five games with an injury and had a half-sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and returned an interception 53 yards for a touchdown against the University of Houston. He returned a fumble for a touchdown against Florida International.
He began his career at North Texas and had 35 tackles as a freshman before transferring. At North Shore, he was offered scholarships from Houston, Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico, Northwestern State, South Alabama, Utah State and UTSA and Houston Baptist.
Stout could have remained in college for one year for major Name, Image, Likeness money with heavy interest from Notre Dame, but he was ready to go to the NFL now.
“When I was five years old, I knew I wanted to play football,” Stout said. “I had seen my brother and just watched him grow up and be the good player that he was.
“Just going to middle school, high school and seeing all the people around me get offer, it clicked onto me. I’ve been wanting to go to the league since I was little. Now, it’s finally like, dang, I’m really walked into it now.”
How does it all feel? Stout is soaking up every moment. What would his five-year-old version think of Stout now?
“Now, I’m the coolest person in the world,” Stout said with a laugh. “I appreciate it.”
Where Stout will line up after playing a lot of outside corner in college is up for debate.
He has ideal skills and size to line up in the slot where he can create leverage and use his toughness and precision to best use.
“I like to be on the field,” Stout said. “No matter where you put me at, if you put me on the outside, inside, in the box, back half, I’m gonna find a way to make a play.
“I feel like that’s a big part of my game. Being ‘undersized,’ you’re not gonna push me around. I’m going to give you a four-quarter game.”
Stout has visits with the hometown Texans, the Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams are coming to him for a draft meeting.
“It’s always fun,” Stout said. “Anytime I’m talking football, it’s always fun to me because I feel like I’m a smart. When it comes to football, that’s my passion. That’s what I like to do. So, it gets rolling off the tongue kind of easy.
“It’s fun, just seeing new places. Now, it’s the NFL. You’re going to an NFL facility, so it’s a little surreal, but this is what I prayed for. It was a blessing. Just hand me the playbook.”
Stout has been training with Nichols, who trains multiple NFL players, including Texans defensive backs Jalen Pitre, Kamari Lassiter, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Calen Bullock, since his sophomore year of high school.
“It’s fun,” Stout said. “Just seeing where Jacory got to, it was big, it was huge. And being around people like D.J. Turner, a lot of the players who played in the NFL, I feel like it’s good for me. I’m able to pick bits and pieces off of their game and just pick their brain and see how I can be a step ahead.”
