{"id":180344,"date":"2026-04-26T10:12:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T10:12:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180344"},"modified":"2026-04-26T10:12:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T10:12:37","slug":"%f0%9f%9a%a8-exclusive-chiefs-risk-it-all-in-shocking-draft-gamble-kansas-city-chiefs-trade-a-haul-to-reach-no-6-for-mansoor-delane-a-move-already-being-labeled-the-biggest-disaster-of-round","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180344","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udea8 EXCLUSIVE chiefs risk it all in shocking draft gamble\u2014Kansas City Chiefs trade a haul to reach no. 6 for Mansoor Delane, a move already being labeled the biggest disaster of round one, and insiders are whispering this could backfire in ways that haunt the franchise for years..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mansoor-delane-pick-criticism-trade-up-draft.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mansoor-delane-pick-criticism-trade-up-draft.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mansoor-delane-pick-criticism-trade-up-draft.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mansoor-delane-pick-criticism-trade-up-draft.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Chiefs Pick Mansoor Delane Ripped as \u2018Absolute Worst\u2019 After Blockbuster Trade\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<p>The Kansas City Chiefs traded 3 picks to move up to No. 6 and draft CB Mansoor Delane, the worst move of the 2026 NFL Draft&#8217;s first round.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Kansas City Chiefs\u2019 draft pick of Mansoor Delane drew immediate backlash after a blockbuster trade up in the first round.<\/p>\n<p>The Chiefs traded up for Delane, and one analyst immediately called it the \u201cabsolute worst\u201d pick of the first round. Kansas City did not wait long to make their move on the first night of the 2026 NFL draft, and the gambit immediately drew fire. Kansas City sent Nos. 9, 74 and 148 overall picks to the Cleveland Browns to jump to No. 6, where the Chiefs selected LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane. The reaction from analysts was fast, but not great.<\/p>\n<p>Mike Phillips of FanSided led his list of the five \u201cabsolute worst\u201d picks from the first round with the selection. The criticism was not directed at Delane himself. Phillips conceded he is the top cornerback in the class. But the price Kansas City surrendered to land the LSU corner, three spots earlier than Phillips argued was necessary, was much too high. Most draft analysts believed Delane would have been available at No. 9 without the Chiefs spending a second-rounder and a fifth-rounder to get there.<\/p>\n<p>The backlash centered less on Delane and more on how aggressively Kansas City paid to get him.<\/p>\n<p>The criticism runs deeper than draft value. The Chiefs traded All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams in March for four draft selections, a move that appeared to signal a shift away from investing heavily at the position. Less than a week later, the Rams and McDuffie agreed to a four-year, $124 million extension with $100 million guaranteed, making McDuffie the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. Kansas City then used three picks to take his replacement three spots earlier than needed.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>More Analysts Slam Chiefs\u2019 Mansoor Delane Decision<\/h2>\n<p>Draft analysts at Arrowhead Pride were equally unimpressed by the deal. One noted that wide receiver and edge rusher were more pressing needs, with Jordyn Tyson and Rueben Bain Jr. still on the board when Kansas City moved.<\/p>\n<p>Another went further.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fdad1-4.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t39.30808-6\/677688888_1797799871243744_6568975093311369108_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s640x640_tt6&amp;_nc_cat=103&amp;ccb=1-7&amp;_nc_sid=13d280&amp;_nc_ohc=MmeEB0fv7Y8Q7kNvwFMhxlL&amp;_nc_oc=AdrWaHYdt1DrPNCs-WWBgpJb3pFzEo0Lyt0AmaFgrpNPbM2juz-YdnNExc5eJodjndQ&amp;_nc_zt=23&amp;_nc_ht=scontent.fdad1-4.fna&amp;_nc_gid=_lUKInTywlxaSHWXkPR4WQ&amp;_nc_ss=7b2a8&amp;oh=00_Af1t-1YuOAWZtDgAXOJNBv44tbcpqjVTRUIBh9E7fzMGTw&amp;oe=69F39F9C\" alt=\"May be a graphic of football and text that says 'heavy heavyonchiefs. on chiefs. Chiefs Pick Mansoor Delane Ripped as 'Absolute Worst' After After Blockbuster Trade on Chiefs'\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWouldn\u2019t it have made more sense to just pay McDuffie, who you already knew was good, and take a player at a different position?\u201d asked Nate Christensen of <em>Arrowhead Pride<\/em>, who gave the deal a \u201cD\u201d grade. \u201cMcDuffie has made two All-Pro teams. Delane would not only have to exceed that, but he would also need to be even better than that to justify the sixth-overall pick.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A third <em>Arrowhead Pride<\/em> analyst, Rocky Magana, acknowledged Delane\u2019s talent but noted the irony that Veach had said days before the draft that cornerback was among the deepest positions in this class. The Chiefs have built a reputation for finding secondary value in the middle rounds. Trading up to spend a top-10 pick and two more selections on the position cuts against everything that reputation was built on.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>What Mansoor Delane Brings to the Kansas City Chiefs<\/h2>\n<p>Delane\u2019s on-field credentials are not in question. The 22-year-old spent three seasons at Virginia Tech before transferring to LSU, where he allowed just 14 catches on 35 targets and earned All-American honors. He totaled 191 tackles, eight interceptions and 27 pass deflections across 44 college games.<\/p>\n<p>Delane said on the draft broadcast that the Chiefs deliberately kept their interest quiet throughout the process. \u201cThey just wanted to keep quiet and make that sneak move,\u201d he said, as quoted by The New York Post. \u201cAnd they made the best move in the draft, so I\u2019m excited.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>General manager Brett Veach confirmed the strategy in his post-draft press conference, saying defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo advised against an official visit by Delane to avoid tipping off the competition. Veach pegged the New Orleans Saints, picking at No. 8, as Kansas City\u2019s primary competitor for Delane, according to NBC Sports reporter Myles Simmons.<\/p>\n<p>Drafting two spots later at No. 8, the Saints took the Arizona State wide receiver Tyson, who was widely believed to be one of Kansas City\u2019s prime targets and who would have filled a more pressing need for the Chiefs.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist who covers MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, boxing, golf, and Olympic sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Newspaper and Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering the Olympics, pro baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getty The Kansas City Chiefs traded 3 picks to move up to No. 6 and draft CB Mansoor Delane, the worst move of the 2026 NFL Draft&#8217;s&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":180359,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-180344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\ud83d\udea8 EXCLUSIVE chiefs risk it all in shocking draft gamble\u2014Kansas City Chiefs trade a haul to reach no. 6 for Mansoor Delane, a move already being labeled the biggest disaster of round one, and insiders are whispering this could backfire in ways that haunt the franchise for years..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - 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