Rookie 49ers nickel back Upton Stout has faced several talented wide receivers during the 2025 NFL season.
But who has posed the toughest matchup for the Western Kentucky product thus far?
Stout shared his answer with former San Francisco cornerback Richard Sherman on Wednesday’s edition of “The Richard Sherman Podcast.”
“The toughest receiver? I’d probably say … probably my first game [against Seattle Seahawks veteran] Cooper Kupp,” Stout told Sherman. “Just because of the amount of positions he was put in.
“You know, I had missed the preseason for an injury. So this was really like my first time in real game action. … We were calling man … Just how savvy he was trying to run his routes and things like that.”
Stout, whom the 49ers selected with the No. 100 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, missed the entire three-game preseason with a calf injury.
And as he said, Stout’s first true NFL game experience came during San Francisco’s dramatic 17-13 Week 1 win in Seattle, in which he faced Kupp and fellow marquee wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba at their home Lumen Field.
Stout struggled on a few critical plays, one of which was when he was penalized for defensive pass interference — when guarding Kupp — on a fourth-and-3 from the 49ers’ 4-yard line. The flag gave the Seahawks a fresh set of downs from the goal line, where they ultimately scored their lone touchdown.
But in the end, Stout collected solid, professional experience, and exited his first regular-season road trip with a 49ers victory.
“I feel like that was a good first game,” Stout told Sherman.
Stout has since faced talented receivers such as Puka Nacua, Chris Olave and Davante Adams, continuously improving his résumé.
Through his 10 games, Stout has collected 51 combined tackles, two passes defensed, one sack and one key forced fumble.
With San Francisco having seven regular-season games remaining, Stout surely will continue to play a key role in the 49ers’ secondary against the league’s top wideouts.