The Kansas City Chiefs entered the 2026 NFL Draft with two major needs on defense: cornerback and defensive end. They ultimately addressed both early, taking CB Mansoor Delane sixth overall, and R Mason Thomas in the second. KC also took DT Peter Woods late in the first round.
While all of those moves made sense on paper, some fans and analysts could help but wonder whether they took the best players available on the board. Chiefs GM Brett Veach had to trade up three spots to get Delane and saw five pass rushers taken off the board before they got their hands on Thomas.
Now, after hearing the rave reviews about Rueben Bain Jr., who was up for grabs when the Chiefs moved up for Delane, some might wonder whether they made the right call. He sounds and looks like the real deal, and the Chiefs may regret this move pretty soon:
“For me, it is his intelligence, his understanding of the game," Buccaneers HC Bowles said of Bain, per ESPN's Jenna Laine. "There are some things that you cannot teach, and he does not learn like a normal rookie, and he does some things that a three or four-year guy can do."
Hype around Rueben Bain Jr. should make Chiefs question their decisions
First, this isn't a shot at Mansoor Delane. He was the top-ranked cornerback in this class for a reason, and the Chiefs clearly needed help in the boundary after losing Trent McDuffie. It's a simple matter of asset management.
The Chiefs gave up a third-round pick (No. 74) and a fifth-round pick (No. 148) to the Cleveland Browns. The Browns ultimately traded both of those picks, who turned out to be WR Malachi Fields and G Beau Stephens. Cleveland used them to work the board and get three more picks, including one in 2027.
Some thought Bain was the best pass-rusher in this class, even ahead of David Bailey, the No. 2 pick. There were concerns about his sub-31-inch short arms, which may ultimately have been the only reason he slipped from a potential top-five selection to No. 15.
As such, it's hard to blame the Chiefs for being wary of banking on a prospect build that hasn't historically worked in the NFL. Then again, Veach could've kept the assets he traded to move up those three spots, stayed put, and still gotten Bain. It was a gamble, but his upside was significantly higher, at a much more impactful position and in a greater need.
Bain is a multi-year starter and an NFL-ready guy who could've started opposite George Karlaftis. His quickness, counters, bend, and ability to turn the corner and collapse the pockets were the best in this class, and he's not a tweener like R Mason Thomas.
At the end of the day, the draft is all about value and projections, and every team's board is different. Even so, this was a somewhat polarizing decision at the time, and the early returns definitely aren't encouraging.
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