The safety position in the NFL has been evolving for years. The days of the in-the-box strong safety are over in this league. The new breed of NFL safety is smaller, faster, quicker and can cover. Today’s elite safeties have one thing in common – speed. The Ed Reed’s, Troy Polamalu’s and Eric Weddle’s of the NFL all have it. Lions safety 
The tradeoff with those type of players is that they stand around 5-foot-10 and weigh close to 200 pounds. They’ve taken over the mantle from guys like Darren Sharper, Rodney Harrison and Darren Woodson, who were all 6-foot-2 and around 220 pounds.
“I think the biggest thing is offenses are trying hard to find matchups and if you have one-trick ponies on defense like an in-the-box safety, it’s very easy for the offense to find them,” Lions head coach Jim Schwartz said.
“Before, there would be a couple good tight ends in the league. Right now, every week there’s a threat as a pass-catching tight end. If you can’t match up with any of those then you’ll struggle.
“I think that’s probably the evolution. You need safeties that can match up against wide receivers. You need safeties that can match up against tight ends. The skillset to do that requires you to have corner-like athletic ability, and if you look around the league, there are very few corners who are more than 200 pounds.”
Therein lies the problem. The new breed of safety has to have the athleticism to cover, but also has to hold up as a stopper in the run game. He needs to be physical and athletic, a combination of power and finesse. There isn’t that many players with both qualities out there, which is why good ones are becoming harder to find and their value has gone way up when teams do find them.
The Lions have been looking to upgrade the safety position opposite Delmas all offseason. Veterans O.J. Atogwe, Chris Crocker and Sean Jones have taken visits to the Lions’ practice facility to hear the team’s sales pitch. All three left without contracts.
“It’s become an increasingly important position,” Schwartz said. “If you have a guy that’s a poor tackler, but a very good cover guy, offenses are going to find him. If you have a guy that’s a great tackler, but a poor cover guy, they are going to find him. That’s just the way it is and the position has changed.”
DELMAS FITS THE MOLD
Delmas is quickly earning a reputation as one of the leagues top safeties. Despite missing the last five games of the regular season last year with a knee injury, he was voted as a Pro Bowl alternate by the players and coaches.
Delmas’ value is not demonstrated by statistics. He hasn't intercepted a pass since his rookie season in 2009. He’s the general in the Lions’ secondary and brings top-end speed and attitude to the position.
Having Louis Delmas in the lineup versus not having him could mean the difference between a 7-yard gain on a reverse and a 28-yard gain.
“It’s everything with him,” Schwartz said of Delmas. “No. 1, he makes quick decisions. He can decipher things pretty quickly and he has great speed. He has a playing temperament that is part of his arsenal, so to speak. I don’t think there’s any one thing that makes him a good player, it’s the combination of all those things.”
That’s what’s becoming so rare about the position. It takes a number of skills wrapped into a single player to play that position well in today’s NFL.
Those players are simply harder to find, as the Lions are finding out.
