The Kansas City Chiefs were busy during Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft after moving up, and here is the grade from NFL.com.
Make no mistake: The Kansas City Chiefs had to address the defense in Round 1.
They did exactly that, not just once, but twice.
The Chiefs had the first major trade of the night by moving up from No. 9 to No. 6 in a costly deal with the Cleveland Browns.
The Chiefs selected LSU star cornerback Mansoor Delane, and they then took Clemson defensive tackle Pete Woods at 29 overall.
Now, could Kansas City have landed Delane at No. 9? We will never know.
Chad Reuter of NFL.com had grades for every team after Round 1, and he gave the Chiefs a B+.
"Kansas City traded third- and fifth-round picks to Cleveland to land the top cover corner in Delane. His ability to shut down receivers on the outside made him a top-10 value. In most cases, I'd say the Chiefs should have let the draft come to them, but I agree with the decision in this case," Reuter wrote.
Time and time again during the draft do we see teams "reach" for players, but at the end of the day, these teams spend months scouting and watching film leading up to draft day.
It is no secret that cornerback was a need after Trent McDuffie was traded and Jaylen Watson left in free agency, so getting the top CB in the class was something the Chiefs wanted.
The Chiefs also needed help at defensive tackle, and mock drafts had Woods projected in the end of the first round and in the early second round.
The biggest concern here, according to Reuter, is that Kansas City could've taken a star WR such as Indiana's Omar Cooper Jr., who went one pick later to the New York Jets.
"They had a need at defensive tackle, and he could be an excellent complement to Chris Jones. However, they passed on an excellent receiver in Omar Cooper Jr. despite questions about their depth chart at that position," Reuter wrote.
Now, Woods is a premier talent, obviously, and the Chiefs needed to add pieces to the defense, so doubling down isn't a bad idea, especially after the way things went in the offseason.
In a perfect world, Kansas City doesn't trade up and still gets Delane at No. 9 overall, but so many scenarios could've unfolded during the first round, and sometimes you don't want to take any risks.
So, there's that, and the Chiefs walk out of Round 1 with two difference-makers on defense.