About Grant

Grant Delpit was born in New Orleans, Louisiana but had to move in 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina. They settled in Houston where Delpit would transfer through high schools before eventually playing his senior year at IMG Academy in Florida. As a senior he recorded 47 total tackles, five interceptions, and six pass break-ups which would earn him a consensus 4-star rating.

Grant would come back home and commit to LSU, and played in all 13 games as a true freshman. He would start in 10 of those games, garnering 60 total tackles, one interception and eight pass deflections. The Tigers would finish 9-4 that season, losing to Notre Dame in the Citrus Bowl 21-17.

2018 would be a big year for Delpit as he would flash onto the college football world with a strong sophomore campaign. He recorded 74 total tackles, 9.5 for a loss, five sacks, five interceptions and nine pass deflections. I believe this season sums up his ability the best, showing just how versatile of a defender he truly can be. LSU would finish their season a solid 10-3 with a 40-32 victory of UCF in the Fiesta Bowl. Delpit was honored with First Team All-SEC, and voted a consensus All-American for his amazing season.

After coming off such a hot previous season Delpit enter 2019 as one of the top defensive backs in the country. While he did have to battle an ankle injury this season, he would return fully healthy for the important stretch of the season. He once again filled the stat sheet with 65 total tackles, 4.5 for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, and seven pass deflections. He was awarded the Jim Thorpe Award for the nations best defensive back, as well as his 2nd First Team All-SEC honor. Of course he was a big part of LSU going a perfect 14-0 and win the National Championship against Clemson this year.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

One of the first things that will pop out about Delpit is his frame; he stands 6’3, 203 lbs, with long arms. That allows him to be a great equalizer to athletic tight ends in the slot, and also being a nickel corner. Grant Delpit is a very instinctive defensive back that loves to be where the ball goes.

Before his junior season Delpit showed a great ability to tackle, and made plays all over the field. He can be in the box, be used as a single high defender, and can even blitz off the edge if you ask him to.

Weaknesses

Even though his sophomore campaign was very solid, he was spotty with tackling throughout the 2019 season. He can have a tendency to go for the big hit and not wrap up correctly, causing in broken and missed tackles. In the CFB Playoff Delpit recorded 10 tackles, and didn’t miss a single one he went for, so he could be trending back upwards now. Isn’t the best in coverage so playing at free safety could be a little more dangerous.

I would like to see him put on 10-15 Lbs, especially if he is going to be more of a box safety than a coverage one. As we have seen in the AFC Playoffs, not all running backs are easy to tackle, and being 203 Lbs won’t cut it at the next level.

NFL Draft Projection/NFL Player Comp

NFL Draft Projection

There aren’t really too many safety needy teams in the Top 10, especially a team that has safety as their biggest need. Picks 12-20 have a lot of safety needy teams, and I don’t see him making it past the Cowboys with the 17th pick. Delpit is my 11th overall prospect, and would be a steal with the 17th pick in the draft.

The Cowboys reportedly nearly traded this pick, and probably a lot more, for Jamal Adams earlier this year. Jamal Adams and Grant Delpit have a lot more in common than just being LSU safeties. Snagging Delpit will add a great play maker on this defense, and make one of the more athletic defenses in the league. With their linebackers holding down the middle the way they can, I would love to see just how Dallas would use Delpit in this defense.

NFL Player Comp

This year he did play a lot more physical than he did as a sophomore, but I do think his instinctiveness will allow him to be active in coverage more than we think. Jamal Adams is the easy comparison due to their LSU ties, but I think Grant could be a tad more like Derwin James Not only is James one of the only current NFL safeties that can match Delpit’s size, but he also makes his plays closer to the LOS like Delpit.

He makes tons of tackles for loss, and at 6’3 he is perfect to go against your tight ends from the slot. While he can make plays in coverage, he isn’t going to impact the game like he could in the box. If he could add weight to that frame his potential would sky rocket, and easily be one of the next generation of hybrid safeties.