Following the Kansas City Chiefs' first training camp practice of 2026, first-and-second round rookies Mansoor Delane, Peter Woods, and R Mason Thomas all spoke to the media. Clearly, the heat in St. Joseph, Missouri is already playing a part as the heat index got up to 99 degrees in the early afternoon.
We already heard from both Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes yesterday, with the headliner being that Mahomes was cleared by doctors to fully participate, just seven months out from reconstructive ACL and LCL surgery. And while he is still wearing the brace on his left knee out of preference, he reportedly looked like his usual self in today's practice, zipping the football as well as a couple of no-look darts.
When asked about how Patrick Mahomes looked to the sixth-overall Delane, his answer was simple. "As advertised." And it wasn't the only insight the rookies provided today.
Following their first action in a Chiefs jersey, rookies Mansoor Delane, Peter Woods, and R Mason Thomas all spoke to the media
Delane, who will begin this camp wearing a precautionary yellow non-contact jersey due to a shoulder ailment, expected it to be hot, but playing LSU prepared him for it. "It's similar to Louisiana for sure, but its defnitey hotter than I thought." He said you've got to take Andy Reid's gritty training camp, "one play at a time."
Based on his draft pedigree and overall talent, Delane will be expected to earn one of the two outside corner starting jobs quickly in a reimagined Kansas City secondary. But he said that, despite where he was taken, he knows he's got a lot of room to improve and needs to earn his role in the NFL.
"Yeah, first days always ups and downs," Delane said. "I'm a guy; I lose reps, I don't do good at whatever, it motivates me to get better, it means I got more room to grow. I kind of get excited about things, but at the same time, don't let the same mistakes keep happening."
That's a sentiment shared by Reid, who has time and again acknowledged that training camps are where mistakes need to happen, and that they're good at this point. But as Delane explained, you can't keep making them. That mindset certainly played a role in his being taken as the highest draft pick in the Brett Veach era.
Listening to rookie defensive tackle Peter Woods, what impressed me the most was his poise and his understanding of the game and where he needs to improve. It was also exciting to hear how the big fella is foaming at the mouth to finally get some pads on in a week or two.
"Of course, yeah, I love to hit people. That's why I play the game," he said.
"It's been almost a year since I've been able to put some pads on and hit somebody, so that first contact is going to be like a kid in a candy store."
Steve Spagnuolo has also spoken about how impressed he's been with how Woods prepares off the field and in the meeting rooms, and Woods explained how important that aspect of his game is. "Yeah, just taking things from different guys, learning what it means to be a pro at this level, when it comes to your body, nutrition, meeting rooms, football."
Woods credited the veterans in the defensive line room, like Chris Jones, Khyiris Tonga, and George Karlaftis, whom he's taking bits and pieces from and trying to apply them to his approach and game.
The Clemson product's weight has been a topic of discussion for a couple of years now, as his best collegiate season came when he slimmed down to less than 300 lbs, and last year, he seemed to take a step back when he grew to 320-plus. He said his current weight is around 308-313, and that his goal playing weight is 308, which will allow him to show off his speed, quickness, and acceleration.
R Mason Thomas, the 6'2" 240 lb athletically freakish pass-rusher Veach stole at 40th overall, said the most important thing he did between OTA's and now is mastering Spagnuolo's complicated defensive scheme.
"Knowing the playbook, that helps you play fast," Thomas said. "If you know what to do, you can do it at a high speed, like there's no hesitation. That's the difference between a sack, a tackle, a goal line stand, so from OTA's to now is really getting the playbook down."
He also mentioned that technique is one area of his game where he wants to improve going forward, explaining that being sound with every detailed movement typically outweighs pure strength.
When asked about the coaching styles of his former Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables and Spagnuolo, Thomas said they are actually quite similar. "Coach V and coach Spags are like the same person. They're aggressive, they have similar calls. I think the terminology is the difference, so you just got to rep it."
All in all, it was great to hear the potential future stars of the franchise get their first taste of playing in a Chiefs jersey. While it may seem like football is far away, this month of training camp will be done before you know it, and pretty soon Kansas City will be ready to host the Denver Broncos in a primetime showdown, where hopefully these same rookies can make game-winning plays.
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