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Mansoor Delane

The Kansas City Chiefs were all-in on LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane during the 2026 NFL Draft.

Nate Taylor of ESPN reported that general manger Brett Veach admitted Delane had been their target for nearly a month.

To ensure they would get him, the Chiefs traded up from the ninth to sixth overall pick with the Cleveland Browns. That signals that the Kansas City brass is certain that Delane will be a lockdown cornerback in the NFL and a cornerstone piece of its secondary.

Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid compares Mansoor Delane to Trent McDuffie

Reid spoke to the media following the conclusion of the first round, and noted the similarity of the Chiefs trading up to select McDuffie in the 2022 draft. He also had this to say when directly asked if he sees some of McDuffie’s traits in Delane.

“Mansoor’s a little big bigger, he’s a little bit taller,” Reid said. “But, both of them are physical guys. McDuffie proved that he can do it at this level. This kid (Delane) coming in, he’s got to do that part. But, their traits in college look similar — the quick feet, the plant and drive, eliminating excess steps, being able to play man coverage, getting up on you and pressing on you, and ball skills.”

McDuffie was very polished right off the bat of his NFL career. By the end of his rookie season, McDuffie was playing like one of the top cornerbacks in the league. He would go on to be named an All-Pro twice, and was crucial to the Chiefs winning back-to-back Super Bowls in 2022 and 2023.

Reid isn’t the only person who compared Delane to McDuffie. ESPN’s Matt Miller, who is a respected draft analyst and scout, had McDuffie as Delane’s pro comp.

Replacing McDuffie is certainly big shoes to fill for Delane. However, Delane is in good hands with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and secondary coach Dave Merritt. Delane will join a revamped Kansas City cornerback corps, featuring Nohl Williams and Kristian Fulton, as well as new additions Kader Kohou and Kaiir Elam.

Chiefs Select DT Peter Woods With No. 29 Overall Pick

Delane wasn’t the only first-round selection by Kansas City on Thursday night. It took Woods at 29th overall, who played in 35 games over three seasons at Clemson. In 2025 Woods recorded 30 total tackles, 3.5 for loss, two sacks, and one pass deflection. For those efforts he earned Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-ACC honors.

Woods will have the opportunity to develop under star defensive tackle Chris Jones and new veteran free agent addition Khyiris Tonga. He could earn the starting role next to Jones, but will have to beat out Tonga and second-year man Omarr Norman-Lott. Woods possesses tremendous athletic upside, and was even compared to NFL legend Aaron Donald by Andy Reid.

It is evident that rebuilding the defense was the Chiefs’ main priority in the first round. Delane and Woods should both make an immediate impact as rookies, with the goal of eventually becoming star players. Kansas City will likely grab an edge rusher with one or more of its remaining five picks, possibly as high as No. 40 on Friday.