NFC Notes: Sam Darnold, Marvin Harrison Jr., 49ers, Cardinals, Seahawks

49ers

San Francisco added third-round CB Upton Stout during an offseason when they lost some key defensive backs in free agency. Stout talked about his underdog mentality after five seasons at North Texas and Western Kentucky, along with how he’s attacking the mental part of the nickel position. 

“I have a chip on my shoulder from always hearing somebody tell me what I couldn’t do,” Stout said, via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. “There’s no point in my taking that chip off my shoulder right now.”

“It’s a lot of work, a lot of film study. But I feel that’s the best part about the nickel because you’re the most versatile player on the field. The receiver can go in any direction, and you have to go with him, and you’re an extra hat in the run fits.”

Cardinals

Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. caught 62 passes for 855 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie in 2024, which wound up being oddly similar to his father’s rookie stats in 1996, which consisted of 64 catches for 836 yards and eight touchdowns.

“A little too similar in my opinion,” Harrison Jr. joked in a video from Bo Brack of PHNX Cardinals. “But nah, it works out in mysterious ways, and it all worked out.”

“Improvement for me is winning more games,” Harrison Jr. added. “I want to get a home playoff game for Arizona. I actually went to the [Rams-Vikings playoff] game, and it was like, ‘There is a team playing the playoffs in our building.’ It just didn’t feel right.”

Seahawks

Seahawks GM John Schneider said that HC Mike Macdonald gave QB Sam Darnold a heads-up that they were drafting Alabama QB Jalen Milroe.

“Yeah, coach Mike Macdonald gave Sam a heads up,” Schneider said in a recent interview with Rich Eisen. “It was kind of in that period just coming down the pike, like, ‘Hey, this isn’t about you. This is about acquiring an impact player, in our opinion. Where’s the quarterback stuff go? We don’t know how fast.’ So, Mike talked to Sam. I was able to communicate with Drew. And, obviously, we were communicating with Sam Howell all throughout the weekend as well. Sam Howell’s a special person, too.”