Falcons 2020 NFL Draft scouting report: S Grant Delpit, LSU

Many around the college football landscape call LSU “DBU”. Once you view the program’s track record of producing defensive backs, you will understand why. The likes of Tre’Davious White, Jamal Adams, Patrick Peterson, and Tyrann Mathieu in recent seasons are viable reasons for that pedigree.

It’s been established that the Atlanta Falcons are fond of the talent coming out of the SEC powerhouse. We may very well see the Falcons add another former Tiger to their roster. If so, there is an athletic defensive back that adds plenty of versatility to their defense along with excellent athleticism. Without further ado, let’s discuss the overall ability of LSU’s Grant Delpit and why he may be an early target for the Falcons in the draft. He will be our final draft prospect profile before tonight’s big event.

Grant Delpit Scouting Report

Height: 6’2

Weight: 213 pounds

Career stats: 199 career tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, eight interceptions, 24 pass deflections, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries

Games watched: 2018 vs. Texas A&M, 2018 vs. Georgia, 2018 vs. Auburn, 2019 vs. Florida, 2019 vs. Georgia Southern, 2019 vs. Clemson, 2019 vs. Alabama

Strengths

Delpit fits the mold of some of the top defensive backs to emerge from LSU. Versatile, athletic, and instinctual, Delpit was a unanimous first team All-American and first team All-SEC in 2018 and was the Jim Thorpe Award winner (top defensive back in college football) in 2019. Delpit has been a starter in the LSU scheme since his freshman season, which is a considerable feather in his cap.

When tasked to play closer to the line of scrimmage, Delpit sniffs out ball carriers and able to navigate through blockers in an attempt to make a play. Delpit’s closing burst is quite impressive when pursuing ball carriers. Despite a tall and lean frame, Delpit plays with a contagious physicality. Delpit shows the ability to read quarterbacks properly in play diagnosing. LSU aligned Delpit in various positions effectively, which eventually left him with a polished football IQ.

In general, Delpit’s coverage ability overall is a legitimate asset can be matched up against receivers, tight ends, and running backs. Even when assigned to cover in the slot, he has shown to win his share of battles. When it is time to lower the boom on the ball carrier, Delpit can make his presence felt. Even if he does not necessarily make the play, Delpit is constantly around the football. Effort is not a question. Simply put, Grant Delpit is a difference maker that can elevate a defense.

Weaknesses

The elephant in the room when it comes to describing Delpit and his skill set is his average ability as a tackler. His tackling technique needs some polish as he tends to dip his head and can be seen as an “ankle biter”.

Delpit can improve here but he’s too inconsistent here to ignore. A significant high ankle sprain in 2019 affected his overall play and might have been the difference to why some saw a drop-off from 2018 to 2019. Delpit also dealt with a broken clavicle prior to the start of the 2018 season. Delpit’s change-of-direction skills in off-man coverage also shows room for improvement.

Conclusion

If you’re quite familiar with the LSU program, you should be familiar with the honor of wearing the #7 jersey. Delpit was given that distinct honor prior to the 2019 season and for good reason. On a team full of athletic and talented marvels, Delpit was able to be a natural playmaker during his time at LSU.

Tackling issues aside, Delpit is a legitimate playmaker and fits what the Falcons look for when it comes to their defenders. There is no doubt that Delpit brings plenty of value because of his versatility and in the Falcons defense, he offers a variety of roles. The interesting thing about Delpit is that his draft range is fairly wide. The talk around draft circles is that Delpit can go anywhere from the 20s in the first round to the middle of the second round in the 40s.

So it is quite possible that Delpit can still be on the board come round two or in the case that the Falcons trade down in the first (fingers crossed) he can be a target. Recent news has shown that the Falcons have held video conferences with Delpit which signals the true interest from the team. The Falcons can go in a number of directions come draft time, but it’s probably best to keep Delpit comfortably on the Falcons radar.