The pencils have been down, full 2026 NFL Draft classes have been submitted, and here are the grades given by national media outlets to the Kansas City Chiefs:
SB Nation: A-
Best pick: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU — 1st round, 6th overall
Opinions on the Chiefs’ draft class are mixed, but I for one love what they did. Following the Trent McDuffie trade they had a glaring need in the secondary, and they moved up a few spots to draft Mansoor Delane, the top CB on the board (when you factor in Jermod McCoy’s injury situation).
I’m fine with that move, as it not only addresses a big need but he is an NFL-ready cornerback. Add in Peter Woods and R Mason Thomas with the next two picks, and you have three players in the first three picks, all of whom were mentioned as potential first-round selections during the process.
Delane might be their “best” pick, but my favorite might be Nebraska running back Emmitt Johnson. It might be my Cornhuskers homerism showing, but he is a good football player and will contribute in this offense, even with the addition of Kenneth Walker III.
NFL.com: A-
Grades:
Day 1: B+
Day 2: A-
Day 3: AKansas City traded two mid-round picks to Cleveland to move up for Delane, the top cornerback in the class and a valid replacement for Trent McDuffie, who was traded to the Rams for four picks. The return for McDuffie included the 29th overall selection, which the Chiefs used on active defensive lineman Woods, despite Woods’ slide in production last fall. With their only Day 2 pick, they took Thomas over Cashius Howell, filling their need for speed on the edge with the former Oklahoma Sooner, who shows some surprising pass-rush power.
Kansas City sent a fourth-round pick this year to the Patriots last April to select cornerback Nohl Williams and used another fourth on an underappreciated nickel in Canady. Like Isiah Pacheco, Johnson could be another Day 3 steal for the Chiefs because of his combination of quickness, power and vision. Allen’s speed in the open field fits Kansas City perfectly, too. Nussmeier’s stock dropped due to inconsistent play and injury concerns, but he can’t ask for much more than learning behind Patrick Mahomes and from Andy Reid. No offensive linemen were selected by the Chiefs, so they’ll need to address the unit after the draft.
ESPN: B
Top needs entering the draft: Edge rusher, cornerback, wide receiver, defensive tackle, tight end, offensive line
Here’s something you don’t see every year. The Chiefs had a top-10 pick for the first time since they took Patrick Mahomes in 2017. Of course, they traded up to do so, so you’d have to go back to 2013 for the last time the Chiefs were in the top 10 by way of their record (they took OT Eric Fisher at No. 1 that year).
After losing Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson in March via a trade and free agency, respectively, the cornerback room was in rough shape Thursday morning. By Thursday night, things looked a lot better. The Chiefs traded a third- and fifth-round pick to move up to No. 6 overall to land Mansoor Delane, the clear CB1 in this class. Was the trade-up necessary? I’m not sure Delane would have made it to No. 9, but he was 14th on my board. No other cornerback went in the top 20.
Delane is an instinctive, technically sound cover man who creates turnovers (eight interceptions over four years) and limits production (3.3 yards allowed per attempt, fourth in the FBS). He starts at one spot for the K.C. defense, while Nohl Williams likely takes the other and free agent addition Kader Kohou takes over the slot. Kansas City has now maximized a few CBs on rookie deals in McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed before moving on before contract No. 2 and drafting their replacements. Can Delane be the next standout in line — and will he make it to a second deal in Kansas City?
CBS Sports: A+
Best Pick: Second-round EDGE R Mason Thomas will add a speed element to a defense that needed it. He is one of my favorite players in this draft.
Worst Pick: It’s hard for me to find one with their group, so I will go with a strategy decision. Why wait until the fifth round to take a receiver? That’s nitpicking a bit, but then again, I loved this draft.
The Skinny: The Chiefs killed this draft. They traded up to land the top corner in Mansoor Delane, then landed defensive tackle Peter Woods later in the first, and followed up with Thomas. It was a great first two rounds.
Yahoo!: B+
Here’s why: Trading up for Mansoor Delane was a shocker, but the Chiefs desperately needed to add a legitimate talent at that position after losing Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie this offseason. They made a great calculated risk by taking über-talented Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods, who has a chance to develop into an impact player next to Chris Jones. Getting R Mason Thomas as a hustle/dirty work pass rusher was a nice move too to continue adding depth to the defensive line.
Most interesting pick: Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
The Athletic: 8th out of 32 classes
Favorite pick: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
My No. 6 prospect in this class, Delane was drafted in that exact spot. It doesn’t matter if he’s in man or zone, press or off coverage, he plays with outstanding route anticipation and spacing to disrupt catch windows.
Day 3 pick who could surprise: Jadon Canady, CB, Oregon
Kansas City addressed its nickel spot in free agency with Kader Kohou, but he missed last season because of a knee injury. With his urgent athleticism, Canady will provide immediate competition for Kansas City’s secondary.
Pro Football Focus: B
Delane: While the Chiefs have done a good job of developing young defensive backs under Steve Spagnuolo, they felt the need to jump Washington and New Orleans to select the top cornerback in the draft after losing Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson this offseason. Delane had an extremely impressive 2025 season at LSU, allowing just 14 receptions for 165 receiving yards on 340 coverage snaps.
Woods: The Chiefs stuck with defense for both of their first-round selections, adding Woods to an interior defensive line that needs a disruptive presence beyond Chris Jones. Like most of the Clemson roster, Woods is coming off a disappointing 2025 season, but he’s an explosive athlete at 6-foot-3 and 300-plus pounds who earned PFF grades above 83.0 in each of his first two collegiate seasons. Having just turned 21, Woods should continue to improve and potentially cause some early disruption for Kansas City.
Thomas: Thomas brings explosive traits from his track background, giving him pass-rush upside despite size limitations. He projects as a situational contributor.
Canady: Canady is a smaller, aggressive slot corner with strong ball skills and playmaking instincts. His limitations in run defense and tackling may cap him as a rotational option.
Johnson: Johnson brings excellent footwork and quickness to the backfield, with good receiving ability to boot. His résumé is of a player who can be successful in man- or gap-blocking concepts, with three-down potential, especially as a receiver.
Pro Football Talk: A
The Chiefs feel like they are entering the second version of the Patrick Mahomes era as this was a critical draft to change the roster.
Overall, I’m a really big fan. Delane is an outside corner that can even travel with the opposition’s best. They wisely doubled down in the secondary with slot cornerback Jadon Canady, who’s a gnat around receivers despite being undersized.
I’m not sure Peter Woods will regain his dominant 2024 form, but he’s a better player than what he showed in 2025. R Mason Thomas gives them a flexible speed rusher off the edge that they really don’t have.
I was much higher than most on Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson because of his ability in the pass game. He ran a pretty big route tree, tracks the ball down the field and makes defenders miss in space.
Staying in the skill player group, Cyrus Allen was my biggest combine snub. He generates easy separation, especially in the red zone (he caught 13 touchdowns in 2025 for Cincinnati). Garrett Nussmeier’s slide seemed extreme, but Kansas City is the perfect place for him to develop as a backup. Would anyone be shocked if after a few standout preseasons, he brings back better value in a trade than the 7th-rounder it cost to select him?
FOX Sports: A
Needing to replace three starters in their secondary, I loved the aggression the Chiefs showed in trading up to get the top cornerback in the draft in Mansoor Delane, who is equal parts athlete and technician, projecting as an immediate starter with high-end potential.
I would have liked to see the Chiefs continue to make their secondary the top priority, but instead the club pivoted to applying pressure on opposing quarterbacks, nabbing one of the few penetrating defensive tackles of this class in Peter Woods and a quick-twitch edge rusher in R Mason Thomas, two players who fit well in Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme. Kansas City went back to cornerback with its fourth-round pick of Jadon Canady, who makes up for a lack of ideal size with great quickness and lateral agility, projecting best at nickel in the NFL.
This draft was almost all about the Chiefs’ defense, but I have to mention one of my favorite prospects in this class — former Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson, whose elusiveness and soft hands will quickly make him a favorite of both Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes and a steal in the fifth round.
And, speaking of the offense, while he won’t be overtaking Mahomes as the Chiefs’ starter, don’t be surprised if late-round pick Garrett Nussmeier winds up spending a decade in the NFL as a backup — or gets a shot to start a few games and winds up earning a big second contract, elsewhere.
Sports Illustrated: A
The Chiefs needed to nail this draft after a 6–11 season and did exactly that. Delane and Woods have strong arguments to be the draft’s best players at their respective positions. Thomas is a smaller speed rusher who produced 15.5 sacks over the past two years and should start across from George Karlaftis. Johnson, a Day 3 pick, should be a nice change-of-pace back behind Kenneth Walker III, and he had 85 catches over the past two years.
USA Today: B- (21st ranked)
We’ve seen this movie before – four years ago, when K.C. surrendered a known commodity (WR Tyreek Hill) in order to get younger and address multiple positions through a draft youth movement. Ironically, CB Trent McDuffie, the first player the Chiefs chose in 2022 and later a key component of the dynasty, was spun off to the Rams this year for a second slot in Round 1. Also noteworthy, GM Brett Veach and HC Andy Reid did little in the draft to directly help QB Patrick Mahomes, who ended last season on injured reserve with a shredded knee after spending most of 2025 running for his life. Nevertheless, this year’s top four selections were all invested defensively, Mansoor Delane (6th overall) widely viewed as the draft’s top corner and an immediate replacement for McDuffie. Peter Woods (Round 1), R Mason Thomas (Round 2) and Jadon Canady (Round 4) add further juice and depth to the defense … though it remains to be seen if that means an immediate Lombardi Trophy, which McDuffie, George Karlaftis and others helped to deliver instantly in 2022.
