Only one pick makes sense for the Chiefs

For the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era, the Kansas City Chiefs failed to make the playoffs.

With the postseason already out of reach, Mahomes suffered a season-ending injury that may have forced the team to rethink its roster-building approach.

Considering that, they let Jaylen Watson go and traded fellow cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams.

That's why, as much as the fans would love to see them take an offensive player with the No. 9 pick in the NFL Draft, there's no doubt that they should go after LSU's Mansoor Delane.

Kansas City Chiefs must target LSU's Mansoor Delane

Delane is the undisputed CB1 in this class. While not the biggest or fastest guy out there, his stickiness in coverage and ability to generate turnovers are second to none in this class.

Also, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has been a master at patching up the secondary after losing star players. The Chiefs moved on from L'Jarius Sneed and Tyrann Mathieu at different points, and Spagnoulo always found a successor in no time.

The Chiefs also have pick No. 29, which they could use to get OT Blake Miller or maybe a wide receiver like KC Concepcion or Denzel Boston, but they need to rebuild their Super Bowl-caliber defense first.

Delane has great hands and ball-tracking skills, as evidenced by 18 pass defenses and six interceptions in his final two years in college.

The Chiefs rallied behind their defense for their last two championships, and doubling down on that approach is the right move in 2026 as well.