INDIANAPOLIS — The Pittsburgh Steelers could be looking to bolster their cornerback room this offseason, and if they are looking to add a slot defender, Western Kentucky’s Upton Stout should be squarely in the mix.
Stout rounded out the top five in a recent study our Clayton Eckert conducted for the site, and at the NFL Combine, he said he has spoken to the Steelers on top of his meetings with them at the Senior Bowl.
“It was a good conversation,” Stout told Steelers Depot at the NFL Combine. “You know, we had Beanie Bishop [Jr.] here at WKU, so it was fun picking their brains and seeing where their mindset was at.”
Stout played at Western Kentucky from 2022-2024, crossing paths with Bishop, who was going out the door in 2022 when he transferred to Minnesota. Though their time together was brief, Stout offered him plenty of praise for an impactful rookie year in Pittsburgh.
“He’s a ballhawk,” Stout said about Bishop. “If you’re a really good player in college, I feel like it translates. So, I feel like the amount of picks that he had in college translated to the NFL by making plays and finding his hands on the ball.”
Bishop played in all 17 games as a rookie and logged 45 total tackles (30 solo), two tackles for loss, seven pass deflections, and four interceptions, replicating the ball production he had in college at the professional level.
Stout was asked if he’s a similar player to Bishop as a smaller slot defender.
“No, I feel like we have two different types of play styles,” Stout said. “I feel like my game is totally different, but he’s a good player. But we have two totally different games. I feel like I’m more aggressive. I like to play man-to-man. That’s one of the key things that I did in college. Like last year, I showed that I could play press man in the event that I don’t want to play off-coverage. I want to be in the run fit. I just like to be aggressive.”
Despite coming in at just 5082, 172 pounds at the Senior Bowl, Stout is a physical defender who describes his own game as “feisty.” He is a willing tackler who comes downhill against the run having eight tackles for loss and 52 total stops last season. Stout is also physical in coverage for being a smaller defender, holding his own against bigger, stronger receivers much like a player he looks up to: the Detroit Lions’ Amik Robertson.
Stout is likely a Day 3 guy who would come in and compete in sub-packages as he works to become a starting slot corner. Perhaps his and Bishop’s paths can finally cross on the same team if Pittsburgh prioritizes slot corner in the draft by bringing in a smaller defensive back with a physical, aggressive demeanor in a similar mold to former fan favorite Mike Hilton.
