With the 44th overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns drafted LSU safety Grant Delpit, who was a teammate with fellow Browns cornerback Greedy Williams for two years.
With the addition of the safety, the Browns now have four main contributors from LSU.
The two offensive weapons from LSU are Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, who each has seven NFL seasons under their belts.
Beckham was enthused to see the Browns draft Delpit:
OKKKK la brudda more of us in the locker room we neeed dat!!!! LSU @realgrantdelpit
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) April 25, 2020
Landry had multiple tweets highlighting his excitement for the fellow Tiger.
He retweeted with a comment on LSU Football’s tweet as well as with the Browns’ Twitter handle:
Oooo Yeaaa!!!!! Bayou Bengal Letssss Geaux https://t.co/Vo5qL2V9Sg
— Jarvis Juice Landry (@God_Son80) April 25, 2020
Delpit, a two-time Consensus All-American and First-Team All-SEC member, was a part of the national champion LSU Tigers in 2019.
He played three seasons at LSU and will be a large part of the Cleveland defense moving forward.
Here are three things to know about Delpit, who was born in New Orleans and went to high school in Bradenton, Florida:
1. Delpit Received the Jim Thorpe Award for the Nation’s Best Defensive Back in 2019
In his third and final year with the Tigers, his statistics did dip from his stellar sophomore year.
However, he was given more recognition in 2019.
Browns fans have to be happy with getting the reigning top defensive back in the country.
In 14 games in 2019, Delpit had 65 tackles, two interceptions, and seven passes defended.
The 201-lb, 6’3″ safety recovered a fumble in the opening game of the season and forced a fumble in the 42-25 College Football Championship victory over the Clemson Tigers.
2. Delpit Intercepted the Most Passes in the SEC in 2018
His five interceptions in his second season at LSU were the most in the SEC and the 10th-most in the nation.
“Baby Jamal” is a versatile safety who was a part of three postseason victories at LSU.
He had the perfect rise from a 9-4 season, which included a Citrus Bowl loss, to the eventual 15-0 championship season in 2019.
According to his NFL draft grade, he is on the verge of being a starter within his first two seasons.
With his strong tackling and defending abilities, he is actually expected to be starting for the Browns in 2020.
3. He Battled Through a High Ankle Sprain to Miss Just One Game in the 2019 Championship Season
During Delpit’s time in the Bayou, the Tigers were an impressive 34-7.
His career at LSU culminated in the championship year.
His toughness showed on the field throughout the 2019 season is a testament to how hard he will work as a Cleveland Brown.
He was taught this toughness from a young age, as his family had the resiliency to rebuild its life after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
In order to improve draft capital and get their safety, the Browns were active on the second day of the draft.
They traded the No. 41 pick to Indianapolis Colts for the No. 44 and No. 160 selections.
There will be high expectations for the second round draft pick, but there may be more pressure on his two-time teammate Greedy Williams to step up in 2020.
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