The Kansas City Chiefs decided not to pay their top cornerbacks this past offseason. Instead, they traded away All-Pro Trent McDuffie and allowed Jaylen Watson to walk in free agency. They still had a couple of in-house options at cornerback to help replace them, but it was still a major draft need entering the 2026 NFL Draft. The Chiefs wasted no time filling that need on Thursday night as they traded up from the 9th pick to the 6th pick to take the best cornerback in the draft, LSU's Mansoor Delane.
There is no doubt that Mansoor Delane is a very talented cornerback. Any complaints that some Chiefs fans have with this pick are not about the player, but the Chiefs' process in taking him. The Chiefs had their first top-ten draft pick since they traded up to draft Patrick Mahomes, and they used it to fill a need they created by letting talented players go. Letting those players go made some sense, given their track record of developing non-elite prospects and turning them into high-level starters.
This top-ten pick was seen by most fans as a chance to fill a need that they normally would not be able to fill. They've struggled to find quality pass rushers. They've struggled to find a true No. 1 wideout since they traded Tyreek Hill away. They've even struggled to develop starting tackles that they didn't draft with a first-round pick. They haven't struggled to find corners.
The Chiefs took the best cornerback in the 2026 NFL Draft in Mansoor Delane, but was that the best use of a rare top ten draft pick?
So while Delane is a top talent, and he seems like a good guy who will be easy to root for on Sundays, some of us Chiefs fans are struggling with the Chiefs' process here. Will having a better cornerback make a huge difference if they can't rush the passer or if the passing game doesn't get back to its prolific ways? Was drafting Delane so essential that they needed to use not only their rare top-ten pick, but also give up another top-100 pick and a fifth-rounder to get him? That's a tough sell for some.
When the Kansas City Chiefs take the field this fall, fans will be happy to have Mansoor Delane. However, if Rueben Bain is terrorizing quarterbacks for another team or if Jordyn Tyson looks like the next Justin Jefferson, there will always be some resentment associated with his selection. There were also highly viewed prospects at less premium positions like Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs that the Chiefs could have targeted. Downs would have been there at pick No. 9. Obviously, the Chiefs didn't think Delane would still be there, and they know better than we do, but I think there is reason to question their logic.
I hope Mansoor Delane doesn't pick up on the negativity that some Chiefs fans have about the selection. He deserves to enjoy this special day, and I think all Chiefs fans can collectively agree that we hope he's such a great player that there is never any reason to regret this selection. That doesn't mean we aren't allowed to question the process of trading Trent McDuffie away and then having to use your rare early pick to replace him when you have major needs at positions that have been harder for them to find reliable options.
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