The Kansas City Chiefs officially opened the floodgates on draft day by trading with the Cleveland Browns and moving up from #9 all the way to #6. While they had been in discussions with the Browns on a move up the board, the Chiefs’ pick at the spot didn’t exactly inspire confidence as they picked Jim Thorpe finalist Mansoor Delane.
Chiefs’ Mansoor Delane Pick Gets Thumbs Down Vote
For what it’s worth, Delane had a pretty dominant 2025 campaign, earning unanimous All-American honors. He allowed only 13 receptions for 147 yards on 358 coverage snaps, giving up just a 31.3 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks. Delane’s numbers stacked up well on PFSN’s CFB CB Impact. His impact score of 96.8 is the highest in the class.
Even so, Delane at #6 felt like a reach for a number of analysts.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. also sang from the same hymn sheet. On the broadcast, Kiper said, “I think it’s a bit of a reach.” However, with Jermod McCoy’s injury situation still a bit murky, Kiper played devil’s advocate, noting that Delane was the only top CB available.
Draft analyst Jared Feinberg noted that the Browns got a “good haul” in the trade with the Chiefs, since Kansas City gave up #9, #74, and #148.
Chiefs fans pic.twitter.com/IzUNZKCgEB
— FanDuel Canada (@FanDuelCanada) April 24, 2026
Broadcaster Kaleb Blanton wrote: “Good trade by the Browns!”
DMac Wake, however, wrote, perhaps in a bit of exaggeration, that the Melane pick is what will get general manager Brett Veach fired. “This is the type of move that gets Brett Veach fired,” he wrote on X.
Monsoor Delane was my sleeper pick for the Chiefs at 9. Brett Veach aggressively gets his guy. https://t.co/U1oNYlZErC
— Matt Derrick (@mattderrick) April 24, 2026
For his part, Patrick Mahomes was hyped with the pick.
Let’s get it! 💪🏽
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) April 24, 2026
For all the noise around the Chiefs’ trade up the board for Delane, PFSN’s scouting report waxes lyrical about the former LSU star.
“Delane is as lockdown as lockdown gets in coverage, and it’s a product of his experience, coverage mobility, inherent technical versatility, playmaking propensity, and football IQ. At 6’0″, 187 pounds, Delane is a fast and fluid mover with great vertical speed, effortless stride variation and sink, and brisk recalibrative twitch. He has boundary-nickel flexibility, and is a formidable presence on crack-and-replace blocks in run support.”
While Delane’s tackling can be a bit more consistent, that’s what the Kansas City staff will look to iron out in training camp. He’s as versatile as it gets at corner, and as a three-down defender, Delane holds All-Pro upside if all goes well in his step up to the big leagues.
That said, PFSN’s Mock Draft user data had Melane’s ADP at 11.2, which explains the eyeball-emoji takes in the immediate aftermath.
