CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Night two of the 2020 NF Draft began with a trade for the Browns.
Andrew Berry traded out of 41 and moved to 44 in a deal with the Colts that also netted Indianapolis’ fifth-round selection – No. 160.
The Browns then selected two-time first team All-American LSU safety Grant Delpit 44th overall. Delpit was a unanimous selection in 2018 and consensus selection in 2019.
“He is a guy who can play the post. He can play you at the line of scrimmage. He can cover tight ends and walk over a slot and hold his own against receivers,” Berry said. “He has been a consistent ball producer throughout his career at LSU.”
Delpit was the 2019 Jim Thorpe award winner as the best defensive back in college football and he will reunite with former teammate Greedy Williams in the Browns’ secondary.
“We did not necessarily go into it with that in mind. We really evaluated independently,” Berry, who spoke with Williams about Delpit before the draft, said. “Certainly, hoping some of that familiarity could lead to potential synergy this fall, but at the end of the day, everybody has to earn their playing time and earn their jobs. We think Grant is a very talented player.”
Last year the Browns traded a fifth rounder to Indianapolis to move up to select Williams and this year they worked with the Colts again in the second round to move back three spots.
An ankle injury early in the season against Auburn limited him in 2019 and despite the missed tackles, Berry and the Browns were impressed with Delpit’s toughness playing through the injury.
“He played through this season and really a lot of the year with a high-ankle sprain that would have put a lot of players out of commission for a longer period of time,” Berry said.
It could explain the missed tackles last season that likely led to his drop into the second round.
When the Browns met with Delpit in Indianapolis at the Combine and the missed tackles came up, he vowed to work on his tackling technique at the NFL level, another plus in Berry’s eyes.
“I think that he would be the first to admit that it is something that is going to be a focus of him as an area of improvement coming into the NFL,” Berry said. “I wouldn’t make any excuses for him. He hasn’t made any excuses for it. He did deal with the high-ankle sprain, but he wouldn’t even give that as a reason for the primary issue. We think the total package and what he does well is going to play really well in our defensive system.”
Over three seasons, Delpit finished his college career with 37 starts in 40 games where he recorded 199 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks and eight interceptions.
“We really feel like he can fit in any safety role because of his versatility,” Berry said.
The Colts selected Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor following the trade with Cleveland.
