Grant Delpit
When the Browns first selected Delpit in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, they believed they were grabbing a pro-ready, game-changing defensive back, fresh off of a win for the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s best collegiate defensive back. With killer instincts, a knack for making big plays, and a pretty complete game overall, he was supposed to give the Browns defense a serious boost on the back end.
Then the team lost Delpit for his entire rookie season due to an Achilles injury.
Whether or not Delpit is going to be the same player on the other side of such a devastating injury remains to be seen, but the story will begin to be told in 2021. The question at this point is whether or not Delpit will be ready by Week 1. Recovery isn’t automatic from such a devastating injury and even after a year, some players need considerably more time to be ready.
So far in the preseason, Delpit has struggled to get on the field at all due to multiple hamstring injuries with just a bit of practice in between. Fortunately for the Browns, he was back on the field for practice late this week. The Browns aren’t without talent at safety overall with the import of John Johnson III from the Rams and Ronnie Harrison, but Delpit could be a big boost if he’s finally ready.