Chiefs Trade Up to Browns’ Pick at No. 6 to Select LSU CB Mansoor Delane

The Chiefs swung big Thursday night, moving up three spots from the No. 9 pick.

The Chiefs are picking LSU corner Mansoor Delane. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Get NFL prospect scouting reports, live first-round grades and team breakdowns in SI’s draft tracker.

The Chiefs made a big swing Thursday night.

As reported by Albert Breer on Sports Illustrated’s live coverage of the 2026 NFL draft, the Browns traded the No. 6 pick to the Chiefs in exchange for the Nos. 9, No. 74 and No. 148 picks in the draft. Kansas City used that No. 6 pick to select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane. Breer notes that the Chiefs wanted to move ahead of the Saints to land Delane, who will fill their need at corner.

Both the Chiefs and Browns entered the 2026 NFL draft with two first-round picks. The Chiefs were already slated to pick the highest since they traded up to take Patrick Mahomes at No. 10 in 2017, and moved up to pick at No. 6—leaping ahead of the Saints again. Though the Chiefs traded up, they are able to keep their later first-round pick, the No. 29 selection. The Browns were one of the teams reportedly looking to trade down, and do so while gaining the Chiefs’ third- and fifth-round picks. With the No. 9 pick in the draft, the Browns selected Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano.

Earlier this offseason, the Chiefs dealt All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Rams and saw Jaylen Watson depart for Los Angeles in free agency. With a vacated corner room, the position was absolutely one of need for Kansas City entering this year’s draft, and they have addressed it with Delane. Corner has been a strength for the Chiefs over the past few seasons, and they are looking to maintain that with this move.

Another factor in the Chiefs moving up was likely the injury to Tennessee corner Jermod McCoy, who missed the entire 2025 season due to a torn ACL. While McCoy performed well at the combine earlier this month, there are concerns of whether he may need another surgery in the future. With McCoy set to drop, the Chiefs likely didn’t feel good about landing a top corner at No. 9.

“To me, this is 100% the Jermod McCoy effect,” Breer said. “McCoy was right there, right there with Mansoor Delane to be the No. 1 corner in the class. It’s not a question of whether he’s ready to go now, it’s a question of the longevity. How does he shape up from a longevity standpoint? Teams view him as a one contract guy, a lot of teams do, which I think might drop him all the way out of the first round. ... Clearly the Chiefs view Delane as being a cut above everybody else, and they get what they had with McDuffie, a potential No. 1 corner on a rookie contract.”

Several Chiefs players were clearly excited about the move. Mahomes tweeted “Let’s get it!” and defensive tackle Chris Jones posted, “Let’s gooooooo” and “helluva pick.”

Delane agrees, saying after he got picked via Nate Taylor of ESPN, “They made the best move in the draft.”

Albert Breer Unveils His One and Only 2026 NFL Mock Draft | Best- and Worst-Case Scenarios for Every Team in the 2026 NFL Draft | 2026 NFL Draft Guides: Needs, Fits and Each Team’s Path to Success

---