The Kansas City Chiefs were busy on Day 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft, as they entered Thursday with a pair of first-round selections. And while the Chiefs did end up making a pair of selections, their first pick of the night was an explosive one, as they traded up to the No. 6 pick in a deal with the Cleveland Browns so that they could select LSU Tigers cornerback Mansoor Delane.
After trading Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams and watching Jaylen Watson depart in free agency, cornerback was one of Kansas City’s top needs entering the draft. The team is hoping Delane will come in and immediately be a shutdown corner for them, and he made it clear that he’s up for the challenge that comes with replacing McDuffie.
Mansoor Delane Dishes on Replacing Trent McDuffie
McDuffie and Watson were Kansas City’s top two boundary cornerbacks in 2025, and to this point, the Chiefs haven’t really replaced them. 2025 third-round pick Nohl Williams seems set for more snaps, and Kader Kohou was signed in free agency, although it is worth noting he just missed all of last season after suffering a partially torn ACL in July.
Delane was viewed as the top cornerback in this draft class, and K.C.’s front office made an aggressive move up the board to land him. In his lone season with LSU, Delane earned All-American honors after he racked up 45 tackles, two interceptions, and 11 pass breakups in 11 games of work.
While some folks think Delane came off the board too early, Kansas City had to move ahead of the Washington Commanders in order to ensure that it got its guy. Delane will be tasked with immediately replacing McDuffie, and while those are some big shoes to fill, it sounds like he’s up to the challenge that he has quickly found himself faced with.
“He’s a great player,” Delane said of McDuffie after getting picked by the Chiefs. “I like to study all types of guys in the league, and he’s one of the best to do it, especially with his versatility … I can fit in anywhere in that defense, so really just excited to step in and make an impact.”
Chiefs Are Banking on Mansoor Delane to Be an Immediate Star
GettyThe Kansas City Chiefs made Mansoor Delane the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft
The main reason why the Chiefs were so comfortable trading McDuffie was that they were confident they could find a proper replacement in the draft. That ended up being Delane, and while he hasn’t even played a snap in the NFL yet, the expectations he is set to face are already sky-high.
Kansas City will do its best not to rush Delane in his development, but unless something crazy happens, he’s essentially tracking to be a Day 1 starter for his new team. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Chiefs add more help at cornerback later on in the draft, but it’s clear the front office believes it already has its replacement for McDuffie in town.
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