New York Giants seven round no trade mock draft, nets some nice prizes
By Ed Stein
Round two – 4th pick, 36th overall
With the fourth pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the New York Giants select Grant Delpit, safety, Louisiana State University Tigers.
Unless a premier pass rusher fell to 36th overall, which almost never happened, I went with a safety in this spot. The only edge rusher who was available (once) I would consider drafting in this spot, Curtis Weaver of Boise State wasn’t as good as Delpit. If Delpit wasn’t available I took Antoine Winfield Jr. of Minnesota.
The G-Men let go of Antoine Bethea this spring, so there is at least one safety spot open. Their other safety, Jabrill Peppers, suffered a season-ending back fracture in November and missed the final five games of 2019. We don’t have a good read on his recovery so whether or not he’ll be close to 100% to start 2020 is still up in the air.
Last year’s fourth-round pick Julian Love is a favorite to fill one of the safety spots, but he hasn’t played there much and is in a transition from cornerback. Why not draft a player who could step in fairly immediately and nail down the position? Delpit patrolled centerfield for last season’s National Champions. While he doesn’t have the same leadership skills as former Tigers safety Jamal Adams, there is still a big upside.
"He’s an animal playing forward. Confidently drives on the football in click and close situations and he has a quick trigger when attacking downhill against the run, especially when lined up in the box. Incredibly versatile with upside in man and zone coverage. Has strong pattern mirroring skills from the slot and his length really shows up when closing on the ball against quick game – Joe Marino, Draft Network"
Even if the Giants have to wait a few games into the season before Delpit sees significant action, it will be worth it. He can be a productive part of the team for many years.