Chiefs’ Mansoor Delane pick ends SEC NFL Draft drought not seen since 2018

The Kansas City Chiefs aggressively maneuvered up the draft order to land the best cornerback available. They traded up three spots to take LSU Tigers’ Mansoor Delane with the sixth overall pick during Thursday night’s 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. To complete the deal, Kansas City sent picks No. 9, 74, and 148 to the Cleveland Browns, who then used the sixth pick to draft Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano. The selection made this the first draft since 2018 without an SEC player chosen in the top five.

Delane, 22, brings proven playmaking and plenty of on-field experience after a four-year college career split between Virginia Tech and LSU. Over 44 career games, he recorded 191 tackles, 27 pass breakups, eight interceptions, and four forced fumbles.

During his final season at LSU, Delane started all 11 games, finishing with two interceptions, 11 passes defended, and 45 tackles while being targeted just 35 times. His performance earned him first-team All-American and All-SEC honors, as well as recognition as a Jim Thorpe Award finalist.

Standing 6-foot and weighing 190 pounds, Delane combines physical press coverage with speed, demonstrated by a 4.35-second 40-yard dash.

The Chiefs’ bold jump up the board is only the fourth time since 1967 that the franchise has traded up for a top-10 pick, with the last instance occurring in 2017 when they selected Patrick Mahomes. Coming off a 6-11 season and a secondary that’s been through the wringer, they’re clearly trying to right the ship. Kansas City traded All-Pro corner Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams, Jaylen Watson also departed for Los Angeles in free agency, and Joshua Williams left for the Tennessee Titans.

Delane now steps in as the projected anchor of a restructured defensive backfield, joining remaining contributors such as Nohl Williams, Kristian Fulton, and Kader Kohou.

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