It's hard to be an All-American, win an award that is given to the top defensive back in the country and help your team to win the College Football Playoff National Championship...and still have some sour on your draft stock.
That's exactly what happened to former LSU safety Grant Delpit. In early November, Delpit was projected to go No. 8 overall in the first RADIO.COM Sports 2020 NFL Mock Draft. In reality, he was the third safety taken off the board, as he ultimately fell to the Cleveland Browns with pick No. 44.
ESPN's Todd McShay explained in February why he believed that Delpit's draft stock wasn't as high as initially anticipated.
“He had a great 2018 season, and he didn’t live up to expectation in 2019. Part of it was trying to do too much. Although, why did he need to do too much in that secondary that was loaded with future NFL talent? Some of it could have been the fact that he knew ‘I’m 13, 14, 15 games away from getting paid millions of dollars so I have to take care of myself.’ I don’t know the answer. But I know that if you go off the 2018 tape, this is one of the best 10 players in the country. If you go off of this year. Yeah, he’s late first or early second. I know some teams have fallen off of him. But if he winds up in the right spot, and is motivated. I think he will be once he gets in the league to play at a high level, he’s going to be a really good player.”
Now, Delpit will look to prove teams that allowed him to slide down the board wrong. Here's everything you need to know about the former LSU Tigers' star:
Measurables: 6'2...213 pounds
School: LSU
2019 Stats: 38 solo tackles...27 assisted tackles...65 total tackles...4.5 tackles for a loss...two sacks...two interceptions...one forced fumble...one recovery
Accolades: 2018 First-Team All-SEC...2018 Consensus All-American...2019 First-Team All-SEC...2019 Consensus All-American...2019 Jim Thorpe Award
Strengths: NFL.com's Lance Zierlein says that Delpit has a "physical demeanor that will help a run defense." While he cited concerns about his 2019 tape, he did add that it's worth mentioning that Deplit played through a high ankle sprain on LSU's National Championship run.
Weaknesses: Patrick Conn of Draft Wire says that Delpit has work to do as a tackler, a pretty common thought in evaluations of the 21-year-old. Luckily, Conn expresses optimism that Delpit possess the physical tools to make the necessary improvements to succeed at the next level.
Player Comparison: Eric Berry
Joe Marino of The Draft Network compares Delpit to former Kansas City Chiefs' safety Eric Berry. Berry, of course, was a three-time All-Pro in Kansas City and the No. 5 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Perhaps reaching Berry's level of production is a ceiling that Delpit can aspire for, but it is worth noting that even early on in the 2019 season, there was a belief that Delpit would also be a top-10 pick. What's more, Delpit is two inches taller than Berry, and nearly identical in terms of weight.
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