The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Apr. 24 that they have selected former Louisiana State University cornerback Mansoor Delane with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 National Football League Draft.
Delane’s selection brings a new addition to the Chiefs’ secondary, highlighting the team’s focus on strengthening its defense for the upcoming season.
Delane, who is 22 years old, was named a unanimous All-American at LSU last season. He recorded 13 passes defensed and two interceptions while allowing only 14 catches on 357 coverage snaps. According to Pro Football Focus, he was ranked as the second-best coverage cornerback in college football among players with at least 350 coverage snaps. Despite playing through a core muscle injury during much of his final year, Delane finished his collegiate career strong after transferring from Virginia Tech to LSU and notched a total of 18 passes defensed over his last 23 games.
In addition to his performance statistics, Delane did not allow any touchdowns or commit any penalties during the previous season. Among cornerbacks with significant playing time, he was one of just eighteen nationally who did not give up a touchdown and one of only two who also avoided penalties throughout the year.
Durability has been another hallmark of Delane’s college career; he started forty games and played more than twenty-four hundred snaps over four seasons at both Virginia Tech and LSU. The majority—ninety-five percent—of those snaps came as an outside cornerback. When asked about potentially playing inside for Kansas City, Delane said: “[I’m] super comfortable [in the slot]. I love playing inside – I think that’s almost even more fun,” Delane said. “You’re closer to the ball, you’re in more runs fits and you can blitz more. I think the more responsibly, the more fun it is. I’m excited.”
Originally from Maryland near Washington D.C., Delane attended Landon School and Archbishop Spalding before beginning his collegiate journey at Maryland and then finishing at LSU.
