New Orleans Saints 2020 NFL Draft first-round targets

Starting Safeties: Marcus Williams, Von Bell (FA)

With the impending departure of safety Von Bell due to a lack of cap room, New Orleans will need to look to the 2020 NFL draft to find a safety to pair alongside Marcus Williams. Alabama’s Xavier McKinney jumped to the top of the safety big boards with his 2019 season as an all-around coverage safety at Alabama, but former top safety Grant Delpit still has the ability to be considered as a first-round selection.

Grant Delpit is an aggressive safety who can play both in the box and in the deep middle. At 6-foot-3, 201 pounds, Delpit is physically imposing for the position and possesses the range to play center-field in a Cover 3 defensive scheme. When put down in the box, Delpit is an aggressive pursuer of the ball with great instincts and angles to the ball carrier. His coverage has been that of a legitimate NFL prospect, but could use some work if he is to be a true star at the next level.

New Orleans will be losing a key defensive cog in the 2020 offseason with the inevitable cap-casualty of Bell, but an elite rookie such as Delpit could be a plug-and-play starter with the right coaching and schematic fit.