Smelter, who had 35 receptions for 715 yards and seven touchdowns through 10 games in 2014 at Georgia Tech, was a fourth-round selection by the 49ers in 2015. Smelter's 11-inch hands were the largest of his draft class, and he was thought to have the size to be a physical threat at receiver for the team.
Smelter spent his rookie season on the reserve/non-football injury list as he recovered from a torn ACL suffered at Georgia Tech. In 2016, he was waived and then signed to the 49ers practice squad before finally being activated to the 53-man roster on December 20, 2016.
Smelter appeared in two games and had one reception for 23 yards. He spent all of the 2017 season on the 49ers practice squad.