​Robert Saleh is no longer the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have high praise for the young players he helped develop in 2025.The new Tennessee Titans head coach told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco that the entire defensive rookie class looked good this past season, but two players stood out in his mind: second-round defensive tackle Alfred Collins and third-round cornerback Upton Stout.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCollins played in 16 games but started just once, finishing with 17 tackles, two forced fumbles and one sack. His signature moment came in Week 6 against the Los Angeles Rams, when he stripped running back Kyren Williams and recovered the fumble in a pivotal goal-line sequence. Plays like that are why Saleh sees greatness in Collins heading into his second NFL season.”He’s still probably the biggest surprise to me in terms of just how much better he got from training camp and as the season went on,” Saleh said. “I really think he’s going to be special. You know, his mindset to get better, his work ethic. He’s only going to get better, and when it triggers for him, he’s going to be a bear to stop.”Saleh was equally excited about Stout, the shortest player on the 49ers’ defense at 5-foot-9. Stout, San Francisco’s third-round pick out of Western Kentucky, won the starting nickel job in the preseason and went on to log 82 tackles, four tackles for loss, five passes defensed, a forced fumble and a sack across 16 games and 593 defensive snaps as a rookie.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”Upton is going to be an elite corner in this league,” Saleh said. “Hair trigger, violent. I mean, he made tackles last year on tight ends that guys his size aren’t supposed to make, you know? And it’s like he didn’t even flinch. And just a relentless mindset.”Saleh didn’t stop there. He also said he was excited to see more from first-round pick Mykell Williams after his season was cut short by an ACL injury, was encouraged by the development of C.J. West and praised safety Marques Sigle’s long-term outlook, saying the entire 2025 defensive draft class projects as future NFL mainstays.This is a notable endorsement given Saleh’s history evaluating and developing defensive talent — both with the 49ers and as head coach of the New York Jets — but Saleh noted that the 49ers veterans helped shepherd the young players along as well.”And to see the veterans … taking all those guys under their wing and just helping them along all throughout OTAs and training camp, and even being around once they got hurt,” he said. “But they’re really, really, really cool … culture over there in terms of guys just being selfless in terms of helping people get better, and with no agenda, you know.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNow with Raheem Morris in charge of the defense, the 49ers hope to see even more development from the rookie class that Saleh helped mentor early in their careers.This arti