Cleveland Browns Comprehensive NFL Draft Review: Grant Delpit, S LSU
After trading down from 41st to 44th pick, gaining a fifth round selection for the trouble, the Cleveland Browns selected LSU safety Grant Delpit, the reigning Jim Thorpe award winner from LSU. While he won the award in 2019, Delpit should have won it for his outstanding 2018 season when he was the best defensive back in the nation. That year, it went to DeAndre Baker out of Georgia, now a member of the New York Giants.
Delpit played through the 2019 despite a high ankle sprain, which forced him to miss one game. That combined with the emergence of several stars on the LSU defense, Delpit almost became a forgotten man, despite how good he was in 2018. It's not as if he was a bad player in 2019, but he simply wasn't anywhere near as impactful and otherworldly as the 2018 season.
Delpit, perhaps at his best in the national championship game, his last for the Tigers, he recorded five solo tackles, missing zero, a sack, and a forced fumble, helping secure the win and a 15-0 season.
Athletic Profile
Age: 21 (Born September 20, 1998)
Height: 6'2 1/2"
Weight: 213 lbs
Like many LSU players, Delpit opted not to work out at the NFL Scouting Combine, citing fatigue from the extended college season and national championship. He had likely just barely gotten over the high ankle sprain he played with that season and didn't really have an opportunity to train.
Delpit released his own video of him running the 40. Yes, he looks fast, but most importantly, he looks healthy. The time recorded isn't terribly important. As long as Delpit isn't running in the 4.6 area, he's more than adequate for the position.
Delpit has great size for safety between his height and weight. He shows explosive, straight line speed on tape. Between his height and tape, the question has been more about his hips. They don't bad necessarily, but not exactly what anyone would call loose.
Production
2018 (Best Year)
Solo Tackles: 46 (11.1%)
Pass Deflections: 9 (13.8%)
Interceptions: 5 (29.4%)
2019 (Last Year)
Solo Tackles: 38 (8.3%)
Pass Deflections: 7 (9.8%)
Interceptions: 2 (11.7%)
Delpit's production in 2018 was excellent, putting him in the mix for the averages for a multiple pro bowl type player. And while data doesn't account for it in terms of projection, Delpit also had 9.5 tackles for loss and five sacks that year. The sacks tied him for the team lead that season.
And while he does have questions regarding his ability to tackle, he made a ton of tackles for the Bayou Bengals. In terms of market share, it's more than what All-Pro safeties average coming out of college.
Jim Cobern @Jimetrics
Game Tape
LSU utilized Delpit all over the field, not unlike how Alabama would have Minkah Fitzpatrick play in so many different spots. Delpit has lined up at both safety spots, played in the slot as well as inside linebacker. In terms of his awareness and understanding of what he's supposed to do, he never looks out of place or confused.
Delpit processes information quickly and reacts accordingly. He always looks very prepared, anticipates what offenses are trying to do and recognizes pass route combinations at a high level. Whether he's playing over the top or underneath, man or zone, he's more than capable of putting himself in position to properly defend as well as potentially causing turnovers.
Delpit is at his best when he can read the quarterback's eyes and flow to where the play is going, but he's capable of playing man coverage and running, reacting with receivers. He appears more comfortable playing on top of receivers in man coverage, jamming and carrying, but even though his hips aren't great, he can turn and run, operating from a chase position as well. Some of this is a product of his ability to effectively anticipate what opponents are often trying to do.
Delpit's straight line speed and explosiveness are impressive. He shows great range, both in coming down hill to defend the run or blitz as well as being able to work across the field to play the ball. His overall length also allows him to make plays on the ball and he's got pretty good ball skills and the ability to time his jumps to go up and high point passes.
He's got excellent timing and angles when it comes to blitzing. The fact he is such a big body is problematic for opponents. He looks like a linebacker flying into the backfield and can jump, able to make himself difficult to throw around.
His tackling is a problem and there are two main issues. He gives up his legs too quickly, often diving and lunging as opposed to running through and driving his legs on contact. He's limiting his strength as a result and makes it far too easy for ball carriers to run out of them or avoid them. It also makes him a drag down tackler as opposed to an impact tackler.
There are times when Delpit will bend over and drop his head as a result because he's not dropping his hips and driving, but is basically lunging. He's putting himself at some risk while not making a great tackle. One thing that does work in Delpit's favor is he is good at putting his helmet on the football and has caused some fumbles as a result.
The other big issue for Delpit is he will drop his shoulder into opponents as opposed to wrapping up to make tackles. For how ever many times he's able to land the shoulder, he ends up missing far more. Combining these two issues, it adds up to the wildly inconsistent, often poor tackler that Delpit can be.
What makes it more frustrating is Delpit takes on blocks well, absorbing contact and working to the proper position to either get in on the tackle or force the ball carrier to his help. If he took a similar attitude to tackling as he does to taking on blocks, he'd be far better at it. The issues he has are correctable, but it's going to require a ton of work on Delpit's part.
The last thing that stands out on tape with Delpit is his communication. First, he's always talking and always communicating to his teammates, making sure they know what's going on with calls and the plays. He also really embraces being a leader. There are times where he grabs teammates during the game, wrap an arm around them and talks them through something. And while Delpit loves to celebrate and let people know just how good a play he made is, he does the same thing for teammates. Big plays or even just seeing something he likes in terms of effort, he's just as excited about plays they make and rushing over to celebrate their accomplishments.
Fit, Usage and Projection with the Browns
The Browns drafted Delpit to be their free safety, whether it's this year or next He will be competing against Andrew Sendejo for that role in camp. Whether he wins the job in 2020 or not, he will see the field. Delpit could play in the slot or be strong in a two-high look in obvious passing situations to try to maximize their ability to stop the pass. Sendejo is likely gone after this season, so Delpit is being prepped for the free safety job this season if he doesn't simply go out and take it.
The early question with Delpit is going to be what the Browns look like in nickel and then dime defenses. The Browns will either want to put another corner on the field or another safety and it could depend on matchups against teams. At least for now, it would appear the Browns dime defense will feature three safeties and three corners. In that respect, if Delpit doesn't beat out Sendejo for the starting spot at free, he's then competing against the Browns third corner to play in nickel. And then the fourth in dime.
With no athletic data to speak of, Delpit's production in college combined with his age was outstanding enough that he actually projects to have a top end outcome of being a multiple time Pro Bowl free safety in the NFL. The Browns hope that, along with Denzel Ward, they can become the foundation of a strong secondary for years to come.
The Rest of The Browns 2020 Draft Class:
