The Kansas City Chiefs traded up to draft LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane with the sixth pick and selected Clemson DT Peter Woods with the 29th pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft.
The Kansas City Chiefs were part of the first trade at the 2026 National Football League draft, trading up to the sixth-overall pick and sending the No. 9, No. 74 and No. 148 picks to the Cleveland Browns.
With clear and obvious needs on the defensive side of the ball, specifically on the defensive line and in the secondary, the Chiefs were going to spend this pick on someone who could uplift the uncharacteristically bad Kansas City defense from a season ago.
The Chiefs were linked to polarizing edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. and many believed he would the ninth person called on the stage by Roger Goodell, but that wasn’t the case. Not only did the Chiefs not pick him, Bain fell out of the top 10 and landed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 15.
Kansas City opted to select LSU star cornerback Mansoor Delane instead, and with the state of the Chiefs’ cornerback room, this was a great pick based on need even if it was a slight reach, which ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. believes it was.
“I had Delane as the No. 14 prospect on my board, so it feels like a slight reach,” Kiper wrote Thursday.
“But on the other hand, Kansas City had a massive cornerback problem after trading Trent McDuffie and letting Jaylen Watson walk in free agency. And with the medical concerns around Jermod McCoy's knee, there wasn't another elite CB1 on the board this year.”
Kiper also noted that it wasn’t a guarantee that Delane would fall to Kansas City at No. 9, with the Washington Commanders and New Orleans Saints lurking before them; both teams that could upgrade the back end of the defense. But because of the slight reach and draft capital given up to move up the board, Kiper doesn’t think this was the “savviest” pick.
Kiper’s biggest problem with Kansas City’s process in the first round though was selecting Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods. Kiper thought the two best players that were available at No. 29, Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston and Missouri edge rusher Zion Young, would have been much better picks than Woods.
“Instead, Kansas City rolled the dice on an interior lineman whose 2025 production (two sacks) didn't match his talent,” wrote Kiper. “If defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo can coach him up, maybe this looks great in a few years.”
While this pick could end up being a good one for the Chiefs, Kiper believes there were more consistent prospects at positions of need that would have sat better with him.