National Football League

2026 NFL Draft: Meet Mansoor Delane, the CB the Chiefs Traded Up to Take at No. 6

24 Apr 2026, 01:48 · FOX Sports

One of college football’s best cornerbacks is heading to the Kansas City Chiefs after being selected with the No. 6 overall pick. Mansoor Delane only played one season with LSU after transferring from Virginia Tech, but he made it count.

He’s coming off a strong season in which he was named a unanimous All-American and First-Team All-SEC, while also being a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. He brings a physical, versatile presence, able to lock down receivers in man coverage and make plays on the ball.

Here’s what else to know about Delane.

Stats

Delane had 45 tackles (28 solo), two interceptions and 11 pass deflections at LSU this past season.

What FOX Sports’ draft analysts have said about Delane

FOX lead draft analyst Rob Rang ranked Delane as his No. 10 overall prospect in his top 150 ranking. It’s not just the skill set he brings to the league that stood out, but the do-it-all ability that he showed with the Tigers last season.

"Cornerback may just be the strongest positional group of this draft, and Delane tops it by a wide margin for me," Rang wrote. "He is a terrific man-to-man cover corner, showing easy change of direction and smooth acceleration to shadow receivers all over the field. He didn’t allow a single touchdown pass in 2025."

FOX lead college football analyst Joel Klatt ranked Delane as his No. 10 overall prospect in his top 50 ranking. It’s not just the skill set he brings to the league that stood out, but it’s his physicality and smoothness that his game brings.

"Delane is my top corner in the draft," Klatt wrote. "He’s an All-American out of LSU. He’s also a do-it-all corner. What I love about him is that he’s not afraid to be physical — both in the pass game, and he’ll come up and be a great tackler. I think every great corner needs to be willing to step in there and get physical along the edge. He absolutely has that. He’s also very smooth in coverage. Delane is almost certainly going to get selected in the top 10."

Team Fit

The Chiefs were in desperate need of secondary help after trading cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams and losing cornerback Jaylen Watson in free agency. Now, Delane has the potential to be the Chiefs' top cornerback for years to come.

Draft Grade

Rang gave the Chiefs' selection of Delane an A.

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