One 49ers rookie has been playing at a really high level over the last few weeks.
The San Francisco 49ers defense was expected to have its ups and downs this season, as they entered the year with several rookies earning key snaps, including first-round pick Mykel Williams, second-round pick Alfred Collins, third-round pick Upton Stout, and fifth-round pick Marques Sigle.
Things have fizzled out from there, as Williams tore his ACL, ending his rookie season. Sigle was benched in favor of Malik Mustapha and Ji’Ayir Brown when Mustapha returned from injury. Collins has become a regular, though, after getting eased in to start the season. And Stout might be the team’s most improved defender.
As a Day 1 starting nickel corner for the 49ers, Stout had his learning moments early in the season, getting targeted quite often in the slot as teams looked to try and take advantage of his inexperience. But, the rookie has continued to grow and been one of the team’s better defenders over the last few weeks of the season, both in the run game and in coverage.
Stout, who has been San Francisco’s most-targeted cornerback this season, has especially been good over the last three weeks of the season, not allowing a penalty after allowing eight over the first 15 weeks of the year.
In coverage, he’s been pretty solid, allowing seven catches over the three weeks on 12 targets, for 82 yards. Here were his three stat lines, according to PFF:
Week 16 @ Indianapolis: 4 catches allowed on 8 targets, 45 yards allowed, 3 forced incompletions, 2 pass breakups, 5.9 yards average depth of target, two run stops
Week 17 vs. Chicago: 1 catch allowed on 2 targets, 27 yards allowed, 16 yards average depth of target, got injured during game
Week 18 vs. Seattle: 2 catches allowed on 3 targets, 3 yards allowed, 0 yards average depth of target, 3 run stops
He’s arguably been the most consistent cornerback for San Francisco over the stretch run. What has Robert Saleh seen from his rookie in terms of improvement?
“For Upton, it’s just reps,” Saleh said on Thursday. “Anytime a rookie, especially a guy who plays his play style, the violence at which he plays, it’s more just getting reps and starting to feel the game and understanding where he needs to put his body and all the techniques that we’re asking.
“I’ve always said, a coach’s job is to give a player a three-foot, a little foundation to stand on, something rock solid that he can count on play-in and play-out. It’s a player that’s going to expand that, along with reps and coaching, just bringing more awareness to what he’s being asked out of all his different techniques, how can he expand that foundation so he can stretch the limits of what he’s capable of? And Upton has done that week after week after week.”
Even with the growth Stout has shown, Saleh believes there’s much more to come from the rookie after his best game of the season against the Seattle Seahawks.
“I still don’t even think he’s close to done,” Saleh continued. “I think he’s got so much left in the tank. He’s learning so much every single week. And it’s been good for him. I’ll echo what Kyle [Shanahan] said. I do think he had his best game on Saturday night. Every day goes together, but he showed his violence in the flat on a big tight end. He knocked a couple O-Linemen on their backs or shed them at least, threw them to the ground. He’s a good little player, man. He is going to be good in this league for a while.”
Head coach Kyle Shanahan praised Stout multiple times this week, believing that last weekend’s game was his best as a pro.
“I think he’s playing [well],” Shanahan said. “I thought he had his best game last week, and I think he’s had a number of real good games. But, we’ve been excited since Stout’s gotten here, and I thought he’s had a really good rookie year.”
The 49ers will need to travel on the road and beat the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend to continue their season. To do so, they’ll have to find a way to limit Philadelphia’s offense, which has been inconsistent this season, and Stout’s play, both in the run game and against Devonta Smith in the passing game, will be important for that effort.
Category: General Sports
