ESPN Lists Both Kansas City Chiefs' First Rounders As Options For Postseason Award

The Kansas City Chiefs engineered the first trade of the 2026 NFL Draft by moving up from No. 9 to No. 6 in a big deal with the Cleveland Browns. 

The Chiefs selected LSU Tigers cornerback Mansoor Delane, and although he might've been there at No. 9, Kansas City didn't want to take any chances. 

Cornerback was a glaring need after Kansas City traded Trent McDuffie and saw Jaylen Watson sign with the Los Angeles Rams, so grabbing the CB1 in this class was a smart move. 

Kansas City doubled down on defense by selecting Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods at No. 29. 

ESPN's Ben Solak had Defensive Rookie of the Year predictions, and he had both Delane and Woods on the list of potential candidates. 

Solak had five favorites for the award, with Delane as one of them. 

"Corners need production on the ball to win this award, and Delane will get tested as a rookie covering star receivers. He was quite productive in college -- 11 passes defensed in 11 games during his final season. Cornerbacks don't win the award often, but all three winners this century were after 2014. It's hard to put Delane clearly above the edge rushers, but when corners win Rookie of the Year, they look like this," Solak wrote. 

Delane should garner plenty of attention and there is a scenario where he shadows the opponent's best WR, especially if the ex-LSU CB lives up to the top-10 pick that he was. 

Solak had another category with some long shots, and he had Woods on the list. 

Defensive tackle was another big area the Chiefs needed to address, and they did that with Woods. 

"I'm willing to get totally wild and draw a world in which Chris Jones draws all the double teams, Steve Spagnuolo continues to blitz at a high rate and Woods collects a ton of behind-the-line production as a cleanup man. It's not at all likely, but for most defensive tackles drafted at No. 29, I would tell you there's no shot. Woods is a great penetrator, and the environment is right in Kansas City," Solak wrote. 

Now, Woods winning the award is a long shot, and it would not only take a massive year from him, but also not-so-good seasons from stars such as Caleb Downs, Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles, so maybe don't bank on it. 

Still, there is a chance, and Woods should see a ton of playing time early on for Kansas City. 

Solak's full rankings are as follows: 

The Chiefs even having both first-round picks listed in the top-12 shows how good of a job Brett Veach and the front office did with this draft.