2020 NFL draft profile: Grant Delpit is experienced and versatile

Grant Delpit was a three-year starter and defensive leader at LSU, where he lined up all over the field. He was a strong safety, free safety, nickel cornerback and more.

Sound familiar?

Delpit (6-2, 213) in three seasons in Baton Rouge, had 199 tackles, 17.5 TFLs, 7 sacks and 8 INTs. Delpit definitely had a down season in 2019, and his stats show that, but he played nearly half the season with a high ankle sprain and it clearly slowed him down. But if you look back at his healthy 2018 season, Delpit was great.

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And he wore No. 7 for a reason. That’s a coveted number at LSU and Delpit followed Patrick Peterson, Tyrann Mathieu, Leonard Fournette and DJ Chark in No. 7. Likely 2020 first-round pick Ja’Marr Chase is wearing it next season.

The one area where Delpit probably needs to improve most is his tackling but he’s more than a willing; he just needs to wrap up better. But Delpit makes up for that with his instincts and rangy play at pretty much any position in the secondary.

Current roster at S: The Eagles let Malcolm Jenkins walk this offseason but then brought back Rodney McLeod on a two-year deal, moved Jalen Mills to a safety-hybrid position on a one-year deal and added Philly native Will Parks. After those three, they still have Marcus Epps and Rudy Ford.

How he would fit: We know McLeod is going to start but the strong safety spot is a question mark. My guess right now would be that Jalen Mills is that guy but Will Parks has a chance too. But neither guy is a clear long-term solution so that’s where Delpit comes in. The strange offseason might hold him back but eventually, the plan would be to have him become the versatile Jenkins replacement at strong safety/occasional nickel/dime linebacker.

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Eagles’ history at S in draft class: The Eagles have never taken a safety in the first-round of the draft. Never. And the only pure safety they’ve drafted at all in recent seasons was Blake Countess in the sixth round back in 2016, but he didn’t even make the team that year. In 2010-11, the Eagles drafted second-round safeties in back-to-back years with Nate Allen and Jaiquawn Jarrett and haven’t drafted one nearly that high since.

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