Breaking down Grant Delpit’s performance against Florida

Grant Delpit was slow putting together a standout performance this year for the LSU Tigers, but that game finally came Saturday against the Florida Gators.

The beginning of the season for Grant Delpit has been tough and he’s struggled to be productive for the Tigers through their first 5 games of the season.

He started the season with a total of 12 solo tackles, 1 interception, and 1 pass deflection. His best performance was against Vanderbilt, where he tallied four solo tackles and a pass deflection.

His lack of production has caused some people to take a step-back on Delpit, raising the question: is he still a lock for the top 10? Matt Miller, a draft analyst for Bleacher Report, recently released a mock draft on Twitter where Delpit falls all the way to the 16th pick.

To note, this was released before his performance against Florida and, as he stated, “safeties tend to fall.”

For example, in the 2018 NFL Draft, we saw Derwin James slide to the 17th pick despite, undoubtedly, being one of the most talented players in his respective class.

It is only a mock draft but Delpit, like James, is projected to fall out of the top 15. However, after his performance against the Gators, he may have proved why teams shouldn’t pass on his talent.

Against Florida, Delpit was able to accumulate seven solo tackles and 2 pass deflections (both double his total through the first 5 games). Not only was his performance impressive to read on the box score, but the product on the field was top-notch as well.

His first big play of the night came in the red-zone with the Tigers running Cover-3, assigning Delpit to take the deep middle.

Florida’s tight end, lined-up as an H-Back, and took off on a seam route. As he got behind the linebacker, Gators’ quarterback Kyle Trask delivered an accurate ball that would have been a touchdown had Delpit not knocked it loose.

Delpit came up big again on a first-and-10 from LSU’s 16-yard line.  The Gators ran two tight ends and lined up on the right side of the field.

The Tigers were back in Cover-3, but this time Delpit was assigned with the left-side (for the defense) of the field. The two tight ends ran crossing routes and Trask targeted the inside crosser. Delpit was able to easily diagnosed the routes and came away with his first deflection of the game.

On the ensuing drive, LSU came out in a Cover-1 with Delpit as the single-high safety. The Tiger’s pass-rush did a great job getting pressure on Trask early, forcing him to step up and make an errant throw.

Delpit made his way from the right hash all the way out to numbers on the left side to come away with deflection.

Not only was he a force in against the pass, but Delpit was able to make plays against the run, too.

On a third-and-nine from around mid-field, the Tigers pass rush got after Trask and had the receivers locked down, forcing him to take off.

Delpit’s assignment (Pitts) ran a crossing route over the middle and had just hit the center of the field when Trask decided tucked it. Pitts quickly turned into a blocker, but Delpit easily shed the block made the tackle that forced a punt.

The last play that needs highlighting won’t show up in the stat sheet, but it proves Delpit’s versatility and shows why you want him on the field at all times.

On third-and-goal from the one-yard line, Delpit is shaded just outside the tight end with no receiver lined up outside on his side of the field. The Gators run a QB sweep to the left with two lead-blockers (a pulling guard and the running back).

Delpit identifies the play and meets the running back behind the line-of-scrimmage, blowing up the play before it can reach the end-zone.

From sideline-to-sideline, Delpit was able to make plays all night against Florida. When you turn on the tape, his talent pops off the screen, but even a player of his caliber still needs to have the production to back it up.

This performance will give scouts the answers they need when the NFL Draft season rolls around.