Louis Delmas

Delmas, who was signed to a one-year contract this past March, is a candidate to start at free safety for the Dolphins after recording 64 tackles and three picks for the Lions in 2013.

Delmas' effectiveness in 2013 will largely depend on the health of his left knee, which has given him trouble the past two years.

Delmas is healthy heading into 2012 and should be able to continue to be one of the strengths of the Detroit defense from the safety spot.

Delmas isn’t much of an IDP option if you need solo tackles or big plays, but he piles up assists at a rate that pushes him into the 90-total tackle range over the course of a full season. He’s a minor injury worry after playing 15 games each of the past two years and has just two career interceptions (both as a rookie), so his ceiling likely won’t be particularly high. On the other hand, it’s possible he’ll make more plays in coverage if Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley force quarterbacks into making more bad decisions than they did against the Lions in the past.

The 33rd overall pick in the 2009 draft, Delmas won a starting job in training camp and never looked back, finishing an impressive rookie campaign with 91 tackles, two picks, two touchdowns and a sack. He also impressed coaches with his durability by playing through a number of injuries. He should be able to build on last year’s success as one of the keys to what should be an improving Lions defense.

The rookie has wowed coaches and media members alike during offseason workouts and is all but a shoe-in to start at strong safety Week 1 against New Orleans. He could emerge as a real IDP asset and is someone to keep an eye on in the season's first few weeks.