Why the Kansas City Chiefs Traded Up for CB Mansoor Delane

The Kansas City Chiefs only moved up three spots in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft, but they paid a pretty hefty price to do so.

The Chiefs gave up pick No. 74 overall in Round 3 and pick No. 148 in the fifth round to jump from pick 9 to 6 to ensure they got LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.

The 22-year-old cornerback was highly coveted heading into the draft, and with Kansas City needing to replace All-Pro Trent McDuffie who was traded to the Los Angeles Rams, coming away from the draft with the consensus best CB was a big win.

But why did the Chiefs give up so much to move up just a few spots? ESPN's Jeremy Fowler shined some light on their draft-night decision.

"The Chiefs’ trade-up for LSU corner Mansoor Delane was based on a combination of projections and intuition," Fowler wrote. "Kansas City’s internal draft simulator suggested either Washington (No. 7) or New Orleans (No. 8) or both could be threats to pick Delane.

"In fact, Kansas City felt a strong pull that New Orleans’ chances to go corner were at least decent despite the smoke around the Saints taking a receiver, which they ultimately did. Its simulations suggested that Delane would be one of New Orleans’ top three options. Kansas City didn’t want to take a chance, shipping third- and fifth-rounders to Cleveland to move up."

With the addition of Delane, Kansas City's CB depth looks much better than it did a week ago. Delane plus 2026 fourth-round pick Jadon Canady, Kristian Fulton and Nohl Williams, give the Chiefs four solid CBs 27 or younger.

Had KC not traded up and Delane was off the board when the Chiefs were on the clock, it's believed they were targeting Miami edge-rusher Rueben Bain Jr., who went 15th overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 7:33 PM.