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2020 NFL Draft: 5 players Falcons could take in Round 1

By Rucker Haringey

OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - NOVEMBER 16: K'Lavon Chaisson #18 of the LSU Tigers in action during a game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on November 16, 2019 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - NOVEMBER 16: K'Lavon Chaisson #18 of the LSU Tigers in action during a game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on November 16, 2019 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Grant Delpit, LSU Tigers
Grant Delpit #7 of the LSU Tigers (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

4. Grant Delpit, LSU safety

Delpit’s stock is sliding after a relatively mediocre season at LSU in 2019 despite winning the Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back. Specifically, there are real questions about whether he has the physicality to be a big hitter in the back end of someone’s secondary.

Those concerns are overblown. Delpit may never be an intimidating force in the box, but he can make plays in the final third. That’s more important for a Falcons defense that will need to contend with Drew Brees and Tom Brady next year.

Reaching for him at No. 16 might not be great value though. Instead, Atlanta should look to trade down and acquire an extra pick or two if they decide Delpit is going to be their guy. He’d slot in nicely to a secondary that likes to function in nickel coverage more often than not.

Delpit may never be a star, but his versatility is going to afford him a long NFL career. The Falcons could do a lot worse than adding him to their defensive mix next season. They should give him a long look when they make their first round pick.

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