NFL Draft Profile: Darrell Luter Jr., Cornerback, South Alabama Jaguars
In this story:
Darrell Luter Jr.
South Alabama Jaguars
#18
Pos: CB
Ht: 6000
Wt: 189
Hand: 1038
Arm: 3238
Wing: 7778
40: 4.46
DOB: 4/24/2000
Hometown: Hattiesburg, MS
High School: Oak Grove
Eligibility: 2023
One Liner:
Luter has the athletic profile of a zone defender but the arm length and early-play mirror skills of a press corner.
Evaluation:
Luter took official measurements at the Senior Bowl. He’s 5115 and weighs 191 lbs. He has 10 1/4-inch hands, 32 1/2-inch arms, and a 77 7/8-inch wingspan. Luter has extensive special teams experience with snaps split between the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. He made multiple special teams tackles in his first season with the Jaguars, which suggests he could have an early pathway to seeing NFL action. Luter gained experience playing on the boundary and field sides of the defense as an outside cornerback at South Alabama. He has long arms and a good feel for the receiver’s positioning in zone coverage. However, Luter is at his best when allowed to get in-phase with the wide receiver near the line of scrimmage. In these instances, he compresses outside releases along the sideline and sticks with inside releases. Luter gears down quickly to change directions at the top of routes, which allows him to remain attached to receivers at the hip and contest comeback routes. The JUCO product has a quick reaction time that helps him close distances and contest at the catch point. He is a wrap-up tackler who competes to bring down ball carriers on short passes and outside runs. However, the Mississippi native isn’t a powerful tackler and frequently relies on gradually dragging down ball carriers. He also lacks the mass to challenge blockers consistently. Luter is high-hipped and long-legged, which leads to some tightness in his hips and a few awkward transitions. He looks uncomfortable sitting low in his backpedal and lets his pad level rise quickly after the snap. Luter doesn’t have the high-end speed or the recovery speed to handle burners. His footwork needs significant reworking. The All-Sun Belt selection’s footwork limits his short-area agility and twitch. His feet sometimes get too far outside his frame, leading to unbalanced or delayed movements. He’ll also click his feet together at times, which disrupts his base and reaction time. Luter needs to be more assertive in press coverage. His punch placement and firmness need work. Luter doesn’t lose at the line often, but he’ll sometimes surrender significant separation to receivers who fake outside before bouncing back inside early in their releases.
Grade:
5th Round
Background:
Luter Jr. is a key piece returning to South Alabama’s defense. In 2021, Luter posted 21 total stops and paced the Jaguars with four interceptions. He led the Sun Belt in passes defended per game and was second in interceptions per contest. He ended up third in the nation in passes defended per outing while ranking seventh in interceptions per game. Had the second-highest interception total in a season in school history. At Pearl River CC, he was a three-star 247Sports.com junior-college recruit who the organization rated among the top 40 cornerbacks in the nation. Selected second-team all-Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges following his sophomore season.
