Safety pinned: Browns select LSU's Delpit in second round

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Browns added a national champion — and world-class trash talker — to their secondary.

Desperate for a safety, Cleveland made a trade in the second round before selecting LSU's Grant Delpit with the No. 44 overall pick in the NFL draft Friday night.

Delpit won the Jim Thorpe Award as college football's best defensive back last season, when he helped lead the Tigers to the NCAA title. He will be reunited in Cleveland with former LSU teammate Greedy Williams, a cornerback taken by the Browns in the second round last year.

Not lacking confidence, Delpit has already proclaimed that with him and Williams, cornerback Denzel Ward and safety Karl Joseph, the Browns will have the best secondary in the NFL. Asked to clarify if he meant one of the best, or the best, Delpit didn't back down.

“THE BEST," he said on a Zoom call. "Headline, all caps.”

Later, Delpit was asked about facing former LSU teammate Joe Burrow, the quarterback taken with the No. 1 pick by Cincinnati, twice a year.

“I’m very excited to pick Joe off twice a year, three times a year, however many times we meet,” he joked.

Cleveland traded the first of its two picks (No. 74) in the third round and a seventh-rounder (No. 244) to New Orleans, dropping down 14 spots and adding a third-round pick in 2021.

The Browns then used the No. 88 pick to select Missouri defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, who began his college career at Texas. The 6-foot-4, 315-pound Elliott will give the Browns some depth — and size — up front on a line that underachieved in 2019.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry made his first trade of his first draft in charge of picking players before selecting the 6-2, 213-pound Delpit. Berry exchanged second-round picks with the Indianapolis Colts for a fifth-round pick (No. 160) and their choice at 44, which he used on Delpit.

“We really viewed him as a big, versatile playmaker,” Berry said. “He's a guy who can play the post. He can play near the line of scrimmage. He can cover tight ends, walk over a slot and hold his own against receivers and he's been a consistent producer throughout his career.”

Berry said Delpit, who grew up in New Orleans as a Saints fan, played most of last season with a “high ankle sprain that would have put a lot of players out of commission for a longer period of time."

Delpit said his injury made it difficult for him to even walk on the day after games. It also led to questions from NFL personnel about whether or not he's a good tackler, a knock Delpit finds offensive.

“I’m so tired of hearing that I can’t tackle, I might tackle you for asking that question,” Delpit said with a laugh. “I got something to prove. ... I pray that this virus exits itself from existence, but I’m just ready to play football.”

Along with reuniting in Cleveland with Williams, Delpit will also join fellow LSU alums Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry.

“They call it the LSU of the north,” Delpit said. "We are so close to winning. We just need a championship mentality. I am going to bring that to the defense, for sure.”

Berry added that everyone the Browns spoke to at LSU raved about Delpit's football intellect and that the 21-year-old was one of the most impressive players they interviewed at the combine.

“In his particular interview session, our focus really was on football context, checks, adjustments, a mini-install with our system and a review of some of the things that he did at LSU,” he said. "He really excelled in that setting. Just really bright, really sharp and can process very quickly so that was one of the more impressive things about him for us.”

Delpit said his time with the Browns felt different.

“We had a special connection," he said. "I try to be myself in all the interviews. I do not try to fake anything. I think they really just liked that, and I can tell we were on a good page when the meeting was over.”

The draft couldn't have started much better on Thursday for the Browns, who stuck to their plan by addressing their biggest need and selecting Alabama tackle Jedrick Wills with the 10th overall pick.

Wills starred at right tackle for the Crimson Tride, but the Browns intend to switch him to the left side to serve as a protector for quarterback Baker Mayfield and to open up holes for Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb.

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