The 2026 offseason has been a fruitful one for the Kansas City Chiefs as they have restocked the defensive side of the football with youth and speed for Steve Spagnuolo to work with. Much of the incoming talent, save for a couple of free agent signings, is from this year's NFL Draft. And the Chiefs are betting big on their biggest gamble since Brett Veach took over as GM in 2018.
For years, head coach Andy Reid's squad has dominated the league and, in doing so, would receive the latter pick in the first round of the draft, such is the NFL's system. However, results from the 6-11, 2025 season "awarded" Veach and Reid the opportunity to have the No. 9 overall selection in a draft that many experts and analysts said is short of top-tier, blue-chip talent at the top.
It seems Kansas City agreed with that sentiment and sprang up to the No. 6 overall spot in exchange for the No. 9, 74, and 148 overall picks to draft LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane. This move came just under two months after the Chiefs opted to trade away superstar CB Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for an added first-round pick and three more selections, one of which was the 74th spot, used to package in the trade-up for Delane.
Mansoor Delane is the biggest draft gamble of Brett Veach's time in Kansas City
Safe to say, the Chiefs would not have landed Delane had it not been for trading away McDuffie and receiving both the capital and future financial flexibility. It's also fair to say that the move was and still is a massive investment into a position the Chiefs have not valued the whole of Brett Veach's tenure. It's a complete 180-degree flip from the norm of this regime, and one that better pay off.
After three years at Virginia Tech, Delane transferred to LSU for his senior season and capped off his college career with one of the best cornerbacking seasons in the nation. Delane, a true outside CB, logged a 90.5 overall grade on PFF for his efforts in 2025, which ranked 3rd in all of college football. His coverage skills are truly elite, as are his instincts on the field, very similar to McDuffie.
However, at just over 6'0" and 190 lbs, Delane is a bigger body than McDuffie and should be able to provide Spags the opportunity to move him all over the field if needed. The 2025 All-American is a sound tackler in space and has a nose for the football on the rare occasions quarterbacks mistakenly throw his way, as he batted away 27 passes and caught eight interceptions in his four years in school.
Delane is pretty unarguably a notch above what McDuffie was as a college prospect, but the jump from college is real, and whether you're a top 10 pick or a day three selection, performing well at the next level is never guaranteed. Delane has yet to step onto the field for the Chiefs in a real game, and it may take a couple of years of play and data tracking to properly assess if Brett Veach's biggest draft gamble was worth the risk.
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