Time is running out for 2023 49ers draft pick to prove himself

Defensive back Darrell Luter Jr.'s pro career didn't exactly start off the right way.

After being selected by the San Francisco 49ers in Round 5 at No. 155 overall out of South Alabama in the 2023 NFL Draft, Luter subsequently found himself suffering a pre-training camp injury that landed him on the reserve list and cut into his rookie campaign; not being added to the regular-season squad until November that year.

Yet the Niners had high hopes for the 6-foot, 190-pound defender despite displaying what was then a deep crop of cornerbacks.

Unfortunately, Luter's name became synonymous with gaffes, thanks to a rather untimely error in Super Bowl LVIII when a Kansas City Chiefs punt graced the defensive back's foot, leading to a costly turnover on special teams and might have been a crucial deciding factor in K.C.'s overtime victory.

To date, that might be what Luter is known best for.

Entering year three, Luter might stand a better chance of making a bigger impact than the one he's managed the previous two years.

However, it's just as plausible San Francisco wants to turn the page.

Darrell Luter finds himself in tough spot to hang around on 49ers roster

Despite starting 2024 fully healthy, Luter managed to appear in just three games before being shut down in November and landing on injured reserve, and all but three of his 50 total snaps seen before that were strictly on special teams.

With the arrival of new special teams coordinator Brant Boyer, it's now up to Luter to prove he can at least retain a niche role on the third phase of the game, which won't be easy after the coordinator made it clear he wants a complete revamping of this once-dilapidated unit.

However, there is room for Luter to potentially ascend the depth chart on defense, particularly in the wake of veteran corners like Charvarius Ward and Isaac Yiadom departing via free agency. True, San Francisco onboarded other free agents to plug the gaps, namely Tre Avery and Tre Brown, while also using a third-round draft pick on Upton Stout to hopefully emerge as a nickel option.

But, the path for Luter to assume a larger role on defense is certainly there. All that's left is for him to fully seize the opportunity behind established starters like Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green.

Should Luter fail to do this, though, the 49ers would be on the hook for $156,756 in dead money if they elect to waive him, saving nearly $1 million in cap space in the process.

Considering it's already been two years and there's been little by the way of positive development, Luter appears to be trending toward the latter of the two paths.

And the Niners may be left with few other options than to give up on their 2023 day-three draft investment.