49ers roster 2023: Undrafted Corey Luciano destined to back up Jake Brendel?
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers need a backup center to support Jake Brendel, and undrafted rookie Corey Luciano could end up stealing the job right away.
The San Francisco 49ers have both spent big-time cash on centers (Alex Mack, Weston Richburg) while also seemingly finding unearthed gems who turn into quality starters (Daniel Brunskill, Ben Garland, Jake Brendel).
Brendel, who saw his first full year as a starter in 2022 after entering the league as an undrafted free agent back in 2016, needs a competent backup.
And that's where another undrafted player, former Washington Huskies lineman Corey Luciano, comes into play.
Luciano, 6-foot-4 and 307 pounds, went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft but became one of the Niners' UDFA signings not long after Round 7 concluded.
Like Brunskill, Luciano has experience playing all across the offensive line but spent the bulk of his 2022 season at center for Washington, and it's likely on the inside where he makes his mark at the NFL level.
What is Corey Luciano's contract with the 49ers?
According to Over the Cap, Luciano's contract with San Francisco is for three years and is worth up to $2.7 million. However, only $5,000 of it is guaranteed, meaning the 49ers can waive the lineman with figuratively no financial ramifications aside from that $5K.
If Luciano does hang around on the Niners roster, though, his payouts will be moderately decent for an undrafted free agent, including making up to $751,666 his rookie season.
If he makes 49ers' 53-man roster, what will Corey Luciano's role be?
San Francisco lost Brunskill in free agency this offseason. And while it has some other versatile O-linemen, including veteran Jon Feliciano, adding another body or two capable of playing multiple spots is never a bad idea.
Plus, in the mold of Brunskill and Brendel, Luciano could be tabbed as that next sign-and-develop prospect who turns into a quality addition in a year or two's time.
He'd either have to make the 53-man roster or be successfully stashed on the practice squad without another team claiming him, though.
Read more: Corey Luciano has excellent shot to be 49ers' backup center in Year 1
In an ideal world, Luciano would successfully impress during training camp and the preseason, taking that and turning it into a primary backup job behind Brendel, as the 49ers don't have a true center to support the latter and have unsuccessfully tried working second-year lineman Nick Zakelj into that spot so far.
However, the odds are always stacked against UDFAs even if they have some promise, and it will still be an uphill fight for Luciano to survive roster cuts his first year.
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