The 2026 NFL Draft is the single most important rookie crop of the Patrick Mahomes era. After a six-win season, Kansas City seriously needed to recalibrate this offseason to bolster several needy positions that had atrophied after picking at the bottom of the draft order year after year. And with the first pick in this pivotal class, general manager Brett Veach has made a major boost at the X position.
With the sixth pick in the draft, the Chiefs have officially selected Mansoor Delane, a cornerback out of LSU. The 6'0", 190 lb. corner will immediately serve as the anchor of a completely remade defensive backfield for the Chiefs.
In order to get their man, Veach has decided to move up in the draft order to secure Delane's services, giving up three choices to get a pick that was originally slated for the Cleveland Browns. In exchange for the rights to the No. 6 pick, the Chiefs gave up No. 9—their first of two picks in the first round—as well as No. 74 (third round), and No. 148 (fifth round).
Coming off of a 6-11 season, the selection of Delane allows the Chiefs to begin to reload in the secondary after losing star cornerback Trent McDuffie via a trade with the L.A. Rams and another starting boundary corner, Jaylen Watson, in free agency. Interestingly, he also joined the Rams on a three-year deal.
For a secondary in upheaval, the Chiefs now have the safest cornerback pick in the entire draft class. Delane was an All-American last season for the Tigers after transferring from Virginia Tech. Despite four years of experience in college, he's still only 22 years old and profiles as a lockdown corner who already has a very positive floor and the chance to grow toward an elite ceiling—one the Chiefs lost when they dealt McDuffie.
Following the pick of Delane, the Chiefs still have six remaining selections in the 2026 draft:
- Round 1, No. 29 overall
- Round 2, No. 40 overall
- Round 4, No. 109 overall
- Round 5, No. 169 overall
- Round 5, No. 176 overall
- Round 6, No. 210 overall
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