The 49ers added some needed depth at the cornerback position with their first of two fifth-round draft picks on Saturday, selecting Darrell Luter Jr. of the University of South Alabama at pick 155 overall.
Luter (6-0, 189) is coming off a college career that saw him total 91 tackles, five interceptions and 18 passes defensed in three seasons with South Alabama. He joins a cornerback group that includes Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, Samuel Womack, Ambry Thomas, and free agent additions Myles Hartsfield and Isaiah Oliver, among others. What does he bring to the table? Let's take a look.
A familiar comparison
Speaking of Ward, Luter's cornerbacks coach at South Alabama, Dwike Wilson, had the chance to coach Ward while the two were at Hinds Community College. The two remind Wilson of each other physically and in terms of ability.
"He's a pro, hands down," Wilson said of Luter in 2022, per AL.com. "He reminds me a lot of (Ward) in that he's very long and athletic. He's right there in that same class, and probably ahead of where Ward was going into his senior year. The thing about Luter is that he's very patient. He's always in the right spot. You tell him to do something one time and he has it. And he's good around the ball. He can finish the play — whether that's knocking a ball down or taking it away with an interception."
Late bloomer
Luter was on a talented team at Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, but he was overlooked in favor of some of his teammates when it came to recruiting. He wound up at Pearl River Community College out of high school before landing at South Alabama and has used that path to prove that the college programs that overlooked him made a mistake.
"Luter's a special player," South Alabama coach Kane Wommack said in 2022, per AL.com. "What's awesome about him is that he's not the loudest guy on the field, the most vocal, but he's just gone and done his work. You think about him coming out of high school, there were about six guys on his team that went Division I or FBS, and he wasn't one of them. But you look now and he has developed himself into a true NFL prospect."
When speaking to reporters on Sunday, Luter didn't get into particulars as to why he was ignored coming out of high school but did agree that he has since proven a lot of doubters wrong.
"It's a story behind all that, but we'll get into that later on down the road," Luter said. "But I feel like a lot of teams missed out on the skill set that I have, the abilities that I have, that I've been given. Also, I feel like they've missed out on the stuff that I brig to the game. Again, like I always tell you, like I told you, the mental and the physical part, I feel like they've missed out on those things.
"And so, as you see later down the line from high school to Pearl, from Pearl to south, you see nothing but progression. And people just look back and are like, wow, why haven't we recruited that guy? Or even take that guy in? So it's all good, though."
Luter on his playing style
What type of player will the 49ers be getting in Luter? His experience is mostly on the outside but is ready for anything the 49ers want him to do.
"Honestly, I'm very versatile," Luter said. "I play both nickel and outside corner, so, I mean, I can play both. Of course, I have had majority of my career being outside, but I've also been reintroduced a couple of times back at Nickel since high school, so I can play both positions. It doesn't matter which one, as long as I'm able to help out the team in any way."
Luter's physicality is one of his biggest attributes. It comes as no surprise he prefers being in press man coverage.
"Being close up, press man, it allows me to put my hands on early. It allows me to be able to rough those receivers up and get them into their routes sooner than they will want to. And that's something that I've done since I was little. I've been doing that coverage, basically press man, my whole football career."
In addition to his physical prowess, Luter plans on diving in right away from a mental perspective and getting ahead of the curve with the 49ers playbook.
"I got the strength, I got the physicality, as they say," Luter said. "I got the mental part of the game, especially coming into the NFL. That's something that I take pride in. I always talk about once I get drafted, boom, I'm getting in the playbook. As soon as I get there. I'm connected with a veteran because I want to get that stuff already taken care of.
"I want to be able to make people feel like I am a veteran. You know what I mean? That way I'm comfortable. When I get out on field, I want coaches to know that they can trust me on that field."
What the scouts say
Most projections had Luter coming off the board at some point in Day 3, with a few ranking him higher than the fifth round. The Draft Network compared Luter to Prince Amukamara and ranked him as the No. 18 cornerback in the draft and No. 115 overall.
"Luter Jr. has starting-level ability at the next level but he will maximize his talent in a zone-based scheme where he can develop into a solid starter in the NFL," wrote Brentley Weissman of TDN.
NFL.com rated Luter as a Round 5 or 6 prospect and compared him to Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford.
"Long-limbed press-cover cornerback with the ball skills and physicality to challenge receivers outside the numbers," wrote Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. "Luter can be a little leggy in his transitions and burst to the football, but his length helps make up for that and creates pass breakups. Louisiana-Monroe attacked him with back-shoulder throws all game, which is something to keep an eye on in the pros. He's going to be more effective in press-and-shadow coverage than he is playing Cover 3 or off-man. His ball production dipped in 2022, but his length and playing style fit the NFL game."
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Luter was clocked at 4.46 seconds in the 40-yard dash with a 10-yard split of 1.57 seconds. He also posted a vertical jump of 40.5 inches with a broad jump of 10 feet, three inches; a 3-Cone drill of 6.9 seconds and a 20-yard shuttle of 4.43 seconds.
Extra motivation
Luter, who turned 23 on April 24, will have more reason than many rookies to carve out a spot in the NFL. He comes into the league married with a daughter, which will drive him once he gets to the Bay Area.
"Since the day I know I was projected to get drafted, to the day I got married, to the day I got a kid, everything's just been building on top of each other," Luter said. "It continues to motivate me. It adds on to the stuff that I was already motivated from in the past. So it just keeps building up."