Grant Jacobs Delpit (born September 20, 1998) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the LSU Tigers, earning consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors twice and winning the Jim Thorpe Award as a junior in 2019. He was selected by the Browns in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft.

Early life

Born in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, Delpit and his family were displaced after

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

and eventually settled in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. Delpit attended St. Thomas High School for two years before transferring to Lamar High School as a junior. For his senior season, he transferred to

IMG Academy IMG Academy is a University-preparatory school, preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. The organization is set across over 600 acres (243 ha) and features programs consisting of sport ca ...

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a pri ...

, where he was teammates with Dylan Moses. As a senior he had 47 tackles and five

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team bu ...

. He committed to

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

(LSU) to play

College career

As a true freshman at LSU in 2017, Delpit played in all 13 games with 10 starts, recording 60 tackles and one interception. He returned to LSU as a starter in 2018. Following a junior season where he won the Jim Thorpe Award and a national championship, Delpit announced that he would forgo his senior season and declared for the 2020 NFL draft.

Professional career

Pre-draft

NFL.com lead analyst Lance Zierlein had Delpit ranked as the second best safety prospect (33rd overall) available in the draft. Former NFL executive Gil Brandt had him ranked as the top safety in the draft (25th overall). NFL draft analysts from

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

and

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

had Delpit ranked as the best safety prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft. Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus had him ranked as the top safety in the draft (15th overall). NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah had Delpit listed as the second best safety prospect available (40th overall). NFL draft analysts projected Delpit to be selected as early as late in the first round to possibly the second round.

2020

The

selected Delpit in the second round (44th overall) of the 2020 NFL draft. He was the third safety drafted in 2020. On July 15, 2020, the

signed Delpit to a four-year, $7.46 million

contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

that includes $3.93 million guaranteed and a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $2.98 million. Throughout training camp, Delpit competed against Andrew Sendejo and Karl Joseph for a role as a starting safety. On August 24, 2020, Delpit sustained an injury during practice and was carted off the practice field. On August 25, 2020, it was announced that Delpit was officially placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

after it was confirmed he had torn his

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

the previous day and would have to undergo surgery while missing his entire rookie season.

2021

During training camp, Delpit competed against Ronnie Harrison to be the starting strong safety after Karl Joseph became a free agent. On August 18, 2021, Delpit reaggravated his hamstring injury and was sidelined for Week 1. Head coach Kevin Stefanski named Delpit the primary backup safety behind starters John Johnson and Ronnie Harrison. On September 19, 2021, Delpit made his long-awaited professional regular season debut and recorded six combined tackles (three solo), forced a fumble, and earned his first career sack in a 21–31 win against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

in the home-opener. Delpit's first career sack was for a 7-yard loss and forced a fumble by backup quarterback Davis Mills in the fourth quarter. In Week 3, he made his first career start as the third safety or fifth defensive back, making one tackle during a 6–26 win over the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

. On November 28, 2021, Delpit made two combined tackles (one solo), a pass deflection, and had his first career interception on a pass by Lamar Jackson to tight end Mark Andrews in a 10–16 loss at the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

. During the game, strong safety Ronnie Harrison sustained an ankle injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. In response, defensive coordinator Joe Woods selected Delpit to takeover at starting strong safety for the rest of the season. On November 12, 2021, Delpit earned his first start at strong safety and collected a season-high 11 solo tackles during a 24–22 win against the Baltimore Ravens. He was inactive for a 14–16 loss to the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

in Week 15 due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. He completed the 2021 NFL season with a total of 66 combined tackles (43 solo), three pass deflections, one sack, a forced fumble, and an interception in 15 games and seven starts. Pro Football Focus had Delpit finish the season with an overall grade of 63.8 and a coverage grade of 83.1.

2022

During training camp, Delpit competed against Ronnie Harrison to be the starting strong safety. Defensive coordinator Joe Woods selected Delpit to be the starting strong safety, alongside starting free safety John Johnson. On September 11, 2022, Delpit started in the Cleveland Browns' season-opener at the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

and made three combined tackles (two solo), a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by Baker Mayfield during a 26–24 victory. In Week 10, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles (six solo) during a 17–39 loss at the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

. On January 1, 2023, Delpit recorded seven combined tackles (four solo), a season-high two pass deflections, and a career-high two interceptions off pass attempts by Carson Wentz as the Browns defeated the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...

24–10. He completed the 2022 NFL season with 105 combined tackles (72 solo), ten pass deflections, and four interceptions while starting in all 17 regular season games.

2023

On January 9, 2023, the Cleveland Browns fired defensive coordinator Joe Woods. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz chose to retain Delpit as the starting strong safety, along with free safety Juan Thornhill, to kickoff the regular season. In Week 9, he racked up a season-high ten combined tackles (eight solo) and was credited with half a sack as the Browns routed the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

27–0. On December 10, 2023, the

signed Delpit to a three–year, $36.00 million contract that includes $23.60 million guaranteed, $14.09 million guaranteed upon signing, and a signing bonus of $6.00 million. The Cleveland Browns played the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

the same day and Delpit recorded six combined tackles (five solo) and one sack before exiting the 31–27 victory due to an injury he sustained while blitzing

Trevor Lawrence William Trevor Lawrence (born October 6, 1999) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Considered among the highest-touted college football prospect ...

. On December 13, 2023, the Cleveland Browns officially placed Delpit on

for the rest of the season (Weeks 14–18) due to a groin injury. He finished the 2023 NFL season with a total of 80 combined tackles (63 solo), four pass deflections, one interception, and a fumble recovery in 13 games and 13 starts. On January 3, 2024, it was announced that Delpit was selected to be an alternate for the upcoming 2024 Pro Bowl.

2024

Entering his fifth season, Delpit returned as the starting strong safety under head coach Kevin Stefanski and was paired with free safety Juan Thornhill. He opted to change his jersey number from No. 22 to No. 9. Delpit wore No. 9 at the beginning of his collegiate career at LSU and chose it after it became available following the departure of wide receiver Jakeem Grant. In Week 5, Delpit had seven combined tackles (five solo) in the Browns' 13–34 loss at the

, before exiting in the fourth quarter due to an injury. The following week, Delpit was inactive for the Browns' 16–20 loss at the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

due to a head injury. In Week 12, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles (six solo) during a 14–27 loss at the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

. The following week, he made six combined tackles (five solo) before leaving in the fourth quarter of a 32–41 loss at the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

due to a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

. In 2024, he produced a total of 111 combined tackles (72 solo), one pass deflection, and one sack while starting in the 16 games he appeared in.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

*
Cleveland Browns bioLSU Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Delpit, Grant 1998 births Living people Players of American football from Houston American football safeties St. Thomas High School (Houston, Texas) alumni Lamar High School (Houston) alumni IMG Academy alumni LSU Tigers football players All-American college football players Cleveland Browns players