The San Francisco 49ers selected cornerback Upton Stout with the No. 100 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The third-round selection already has general manager John Lynch's attention as he recently compared him to a Hall of Fame player.
Appearing on KNBR, Lynch drew comparisons between Stout and his teammate in Tampa Bay with the Buccaneers, Ronde Barber:
More praise for Upton Stout coming from Niners camp. John Lynch told @knbrmurph & @MarkusBoucher that he and Mykel Williams have been the most impressive rookies at camp.
— KNBR (@KNBR) August 7, 2025
LYNCH: "You always have to be careful making comparisons to HOF players, but I played with a nickel in… pic.twitter.com/Q97Fy5tbeB
49ers GM John Lynch likens Upton Stout to Ronde Barber
Lynch, a member of the Hall of Fame in his own right for his great career as a safety in the NFL, made sure to preface this comparison by noting it is always tricky to compare players, especially rookies, to Hall of Fame players.
Yet, he went on to say that Stout's fire and competitive spirit are reminiscent of Barber.
"You always have to be careful making comparisons to HOF players," Lynch declared. "But I played with a nickel in Tampa, Ronde Barber — the feistiness, the competitor that Upton is [reminds him of Barber]."
That is some high praise from Lynch. Barber had 47 career interceptions in his 16-year career, all 16 seasons with Tampa Bay. He made five Pro Bowls and was first-team All-Pro on three separate occasions.
Barber was inducted into Canton in the Class of 2023.
It speaks to how good Stout has looked in training camp thus far that he is already drawing comparisons like this. His play at the slot-corner spot have made him the definite favorite to start at the nickel cornerback position in Week 1.
Stout has also received guidance from a familiar face in K'Waun Williams who was a solid nickel corner for the Niners for several seasons. That eagerness to soak up knowledge from his predecessors has seemingly paid dividends as Stout has quickly become one of the rookies who has stood out the most thus far in camp.
It will be interesting to see how Stout looks in preseason action. If he can build upon his great play in camp, he will assuredly be a starter in Week 1 against Seattle.
That would give the Niners a pretty solid foundation at cornerback with Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green on the outside with Stout at nickel. Cornerback could end up being a sneaky position of strength for the team if those three guys play up to their potential.
Stout has been turning heads all of camp so Lynch's praise is just more evidence that he is on track to be an exciting young rookie fans should keep an eye on this season.