Minnesota Vikings: First-round 2020 NFL Draft targets
By Ian Higgins
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Grant Delpit S
Projected Starters: Harrison Smith, Anthony Harris
With one of the better safety pairings within the NFL, Minnesota is doing its job retaining the back end of their defense. Regardless of failures at cornerback between draft bust Tre Waynes and suddenly fallen star Xavier Rhodes, Minnesota still has pieces in place to have a support system for young corners who will be brought into the fold.
Harrison Smith has been an elite strong safety for many years and still has two years left on his contract, but running mate Anthony Harris was franchise tagged and could be a 2021 offseason casualty.
Grant Delpit is one of the rangiest safeties of the 2020 NFL draft class on tape and should be considered a candidate at free safety rather than strong. Even though he has tape to show he can bring physicality in run support, his inconsistency tackling in open space raises concern on his ability to immediately play down low at the next level against even shiftier running backs.
His range and ball skills will be suited well for roaming the deep middle in a cover three system which gives him the freedom to play either half of the field and base his decision off of instincts with the safety net of two corners to cover his backside.
Safeties are often considered the safety net of the secondary, but with an evolving cover three systems sweeping the NFL, the next big trend may be aggressive safeties who play more as “defensive midfielder in soccer than a centerfielder in baseball” per se.