The Los Angeles Rams moved on from Jalen Ramsey earlier this offseason, trading him to the Miami Dolphins. With Ramsey no longer in the equation on defense, the cornerback position is ultra-thin for the Rams at the moment.
The top three cornerbacks on the current depth chart are Cobie Durant, Robert Rochell, and Derion Kendrick. Provided that information, the Rams will certainly need to address the cornerback position during the 2023 NFL draft.
With the majority of their draft picks residing on Day 3 of the draft, Darrell Luter Jr. out of South Alabama is a name to watch for the Rams.
Background
Luter played three seasons at South Alabama after redshirting for the 2019 season. After having a limited role in 2020, Luter totaled 63 tackles, 17 pass breakups, and five interceptions in his final two seasons in college.
Despite playing at a smaller school, Luter was invited to the Senior Bowl and impressed against some of the notable wideouts in this year’s draft. He would then notch a 4.46 40-yard dash (tied for 14th among CBs) and a 1.57 10-yard split (tied for 27th among CBs) at the NFL scouting combine.
How he fits the Rams
Luter measured in at six-foot and 189 pounds with 32 3/8-inch arms. His length helps him create tight throwing windows and helps him recover to break up passes or make plays on the ball.
The South Alabama cornerback has the size and length that teams in the NFL covet and the Rams need someone that they can rely on that can play outside the numbers. Luter will need to refine his game at the next level to carve out a long career in the NFL, but he has the potential to develop into a starter in the right environment.
Draft projection
The draft stock of Luter is somewhat tough to gauge with this year’s class of cornerbacks being considered a deep group. At the moment, the majority of mock drafts have Luter being taken on the latter part of Day 3.
While the Rams will need to address a variety of positions in this year’s draft, they’ll have 11 total picks and eight picks in the final three rounds. Taking that into consideration, the Rams will likely have a few chances to select Luter.
More prospect profiles
Here are the previous cornerback profiles that have been completed already: