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Fresh off a loss in Super Bowl LIV, the San Fransisco 49ers will head into April's NFL Draft looking to re-tool, improve their team and gear up for another run.
With players like Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle, and Nick Bosa at the core, the 49ers are well set up for the future. However, despite going 13-3 this year and being the best team in the NFC, the team still has areas it needs to address.
One of those areas is the team's need at safety. Sixth-year pro Jimmie Ward enjoyed a breakout year in 2019, but with Ward set to become a free agent this offseason, San Fransisco should look at LSU safety Grant Delpit late in the first round.
Prior to the season and following a monster sophomore season, Delpit was seen as a likely top-10 pick. An injury hindered Delpit in 2019 and as a result, the safety didn't have quite the impact he was expected to have.
Still, the LSU star was able to win the Jim Thorpe Award and was a consensus All-American for the second consecutive year.
As a prospect, Delpit absolutely jumps off the page. At 6-foot-3 and 203 pounds, Delpit has elite size at safety. Perhaps Delpit's best quality, however, is his extreme physicality and motor.
Delpit has the ability to become an elite blitzer, has great ball skills, and can absolutely fly across the field and with his stock slightly falling since last season, Delpit could be a steal late in the first round.
For the national champion LSU Tigers, Delpit recorded 65 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks, two interceptions, and seven passes defended.
The biggest knock on Delpit would probably be his tackling. A previous shoulder injury has made Delpit a bit hesitant to throw his body around and he has a bit of a history whiffing on some tackles during his college career.
A strong performance at the NFL Combine could vault Delpit back into the top half of the first round, but currently, Delpit is seen as a late first-rounder and the 49ers could have an elite prospect fall into their laps.
The San Fransisco secondary and defense as a whole was certainly elite in 2019. The team ranked first in the NFL in terms of passing yards allowed per game (169.2), but Delpit would provide the Niners with a top-tier playmaker that could be a starter from day one depending on how free agency unfolds.
