Cowboys NFL Mock Draft: Brugler First-Round Projection Sends LSU Safety Grant Delpit To Dallas

In An Early Cowboys NFL Mock Draft, Expert Dane Brugler's First-Round Projection Sends LSU Safety Grant Delpit To Dallas

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys have traditionally tried to "get by'' at safety, opting to use salary-cap money and other resources on other "more important'' positions. Maybe, with new coach Mike McCarthy pitching in his thoughts to personnel boss Will McClay, that's about to change.
The Cowboys, according to the very reliable Dane Brugler of The Athletic, are projected to select LSU safety Grant Delpit with their first pick, at No. 17, in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The 6-3, 203-pound Delpit certainly has star quality as a standout for the national champions. Brugler writes:

The Cowboys have neglected to upgrade their safeties for years, but there is a decent chance that the first player at the position will be drafted by the Cowboys. Delpit was an up-and-down performer in 2019 (in coverage and in run support), but his awareness and range are traits worth betting on.

That doesn't sound like the most ringing endorsement, but Delpit, 21, does have a reputation for having "ball skills,'' something the Dallas secondary lacks.

The Cowboys have in recent years flirted with the idea of big-investment change at safety, with efforts to trade for Earl Thomas a couple of years ago and Jamal Adams at the 2019 trade deadline. A deal like that could be in play again, but in terms of affordability, of course, the draft always provides a better answer.

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We know that to a degree, McCarthy is instituting a change in the way Dallas plays defense. A selection of Grant Delpit would indicate a change in the way Dallas invests in defense as well.