The more things change the more they stay the same. Its been 18 years since the Cowboys drafted a safety in the first round of the NFL draft, when they spent the eighth-overall pick on safety Roy Williams from the University of Oklahoma. As of recently, the safety positions seems to be the one position of need that never gets addressed enough to actually improve the position. It could be how they value the position or the options available to improve the position but to their credit they have kicked the tires over the last two years to acquire impact players at the position.
First it was attempting to trade for Earl Thomas then eventually trying to sign him the following off-season but was outbid for his services by the Baltimore Ravens. This past season at the trade deadline they flirted with trading for Jamal Adams but the price was to steep as they did not want to part ways with a first-round pick plus other assets. However, after passing on safety prospects like Taylor Rapp, Nassir Adderley and Juan Thornhill in the second round of last years draft the Cowboys find themselves again searching to improve the position. Luckily for the Cowboys the 2020 draft class is equipped with some potential Day-1 impact starters.
Grant Delpit, S, LSU
The 6-foot-2, 213 pound safety has been one the most popular players mocked to the Cowboys and for good reason. Delpit was a three-year starter at LSU lining up as both a free and strong safety. He is a ball-hawk with very good instincts in coverage. He has quick feet with loose and flexible hips. He does a good job reading quarterback eyes and breaking to the football.
Delpit has excellent ball skills and finished with eight interceptions throughout his college career. He struggles at times as a tackler often lunging with his shoulders and missing tackles. He must shore up his tackling inconsistency, but Delpit is a very real option at pick No. 17. Delpit completed his junior season with 65 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, seven passes defended, one forced fumble an one fumble recovery.
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What the experts say:
Aggressive, urgent striker with good upside who posted a disappointing follow-up to an exciting 2018 campaign. His evaluation requires a full load of 2018 tape, where his coverage potential was better illustrated. He transitions with instinctive eyes and plays physically against tight ends. Willingness to rush in and hit has never been a problem in the alley or in his fits, but tackle inconsistencies have plagued him throughout his career due to angles and technique that could be challenging to fix. LSU sources say NFL teams won’t be getting the alpha leadership Jamal Adams provided for the Tigers, but Delpit should find a starting role early in his career as a versatile safety with big nickel potential.
Grant Delpit projects as an impact defender at the NFL level. Tackling issues in the open field will put off some teams, but he’s physically capable of booming hits and his foundation as a player is a pretty rare blend of skills — making him an enticing every down defender that can be a centerpiece to weekly game plans. Delpit has high football intelligence and can handle any number of roles or responsibilities, adding him to a roster will add infinite flexibility to back-end coverage combos.
Some players are so good they jump out at you even when you are studying other players for a another draft. That was the case with Delpit in 2018, as he was impossible to miss when watching LSU. The fast and physical safety was all over the field for the Tigers, commanding viewers to take notice. He totaled 74 tackles, 9.5 tackles for a loss, five sacks, nine passes batted and five interceptions that season. Delpit showed an excellent combination of size and speed to be a difference-maker at safety in the professional ranks. His impressive high-quality play to go along with his skill set had NFL teams thinking he had top-20 potential for his draft class.