With the sixth overall pick in the 2026 draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane. Not only did they spend such an early pick, but they also moved up three spots to take him.
That would have put enough pressure on Delane as it is, but with the Chiefs trading Trent McDuffie and losing Jaylen Watson this offseason, the pressure is on even more for the LSU alum in his first year as a pro. Fans might have been a little anxious when he missed a chunk of training camp due to injury, but he played last weekend in Tampa and gave fans a glimpse of what he can do.
Delane only played in the first quarter before getting pulled for the backups to do their thing, but Chiefs fans had to have been excited by what they saw from him. The rookie was on the field for three defensive drives, and neither Buccaneers quarterback sent the ball his direction, which is a rarity for rookie corners. PFF gave him a coverage grade of 64.6 and an overall grade of 65.0. Not bad.
The Chiefs head coach liked what he saw from the team's first-round pick versus the Buccaneers.
Andy Reid was impressed by his first-round pick as well and spoke about it to the media on Monday. He praised Delane's athleticism and said the talent is obviously there.
"You could see the athletic ability, feet, the instincts," Reid said. "[Delane] just builds on that and goes. You can obviously see the talent. He's like the other rookies. Will there be a mistake? Here or there... Learn from whatever mistake you make and move forward."
Delane also spoke to the media on Monday and was asked how he felt about his NFL debut. "I think it was cool. You know, obviously, it wasn't too many reps, but just, you know, obviously getting my feet wet, just getting that experience, I think that was the biggest thing for me," Delane said.
Having to wait until the Chiefs' second preseason game was difficult for Delane. The LSU product spoke in-depth about the shoulder injury that's limited him for most of the spring and summer at his press conference on Monday.
"It's always hard not to be on the field, like, you know, that's what you love to do... I think it's a sign, you know, whatever happens, it's meant to be that way, so I think it allowed me to step back and, you know, just kind of see from a different perspective, you know, see, you know, what I could learn, learning from other players, their corrections, their mistakes, what they're doing good. So I took that time, and I valued every second of it."
It was only one game for Delane, but he looked the part of a lockdown option who will serve as the cornerstone for a completely rebuilt secondary. The burst to the ball and instinctive stickiness is going to make him a positive asset from Week 1, even as he's learning the ropes following a preseason limited by injury. It only took a few series for Chiefs Kingdom to see why the front office was so excited to draft Delane in the first place.
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