Mansoor Delane is quickly proving the Kansas City Chiefs right, and the doubters wrong. When Kansas City used a high draft pick on a cornerback, plenty of Chiefs fans questioned the move. Four games in, though, Delane is making those concerns look pretty silly. The rookie has been flying around, making plays and looking every bit like the CB1 Kansas City hoped it was drafting.
The Chiefs needed a new top corner after moving on from Trent McDuffie this offseason, and asking a rookie to step into those shoes was always going to be a tall order.
But Delane came in with the size, instincts, and ball skills to thrive in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense—and through four weeks, he’s looking more and more like the next star of the Chiefs’ secondary.
Chiefs’ Latest Defensive Breakout Could Change Everything
Mansoor Delane Looks Like the Chiefs’ Next Defensive Star
Four weeks into the Chiefs’ season—and just a little over two weeks into his NFL career—Delane is already making all doubters eat their words. The LSU rookie has led the Chiefs in tackles in back-to-back games, showing he can get downhill against the run while holding his own in coverage. Sure, he allowed four catches for 56 yards in Week 4, including a 27-yard completion, but Delane was still arguably Kansas City’s best defensive player on the field.
And that’s what makes his start so impressive. Delane hasn’t just survived the jump to the NFL—he’s looked like he belongs.
The first-round pick has barely had time to settle into life in the league, yet he’s already sharing the field with stars like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce every day in practice. Yes, the Chiefs’ latest offensive approach is making the defenses rethink their choices. If there was any better way to get a crash course in what it takes to play at the highest level, it’s hard to find one.
Delane has certainly had a few rookie moments, but they’ve been far outweighed by the flashes of a potential defensive star. He passes the eye test, plays with an edge, and has been even more physical in the run game than many expected coming out of LSU.
The numbers back it up, too. According to Pro Football Focus, Delane has allowed just nine completions on 99 coverage snaps, with opposing quarterbacks posting a 46.5 passer rating when targeting his coverage. He already has an interception, a couple of pass breakups, and eight run stops to his name.
PFF currently has Delane as its fifth highest-graded cornerback in the NFL and fifth corner in coverage through four games.
That doesn’t mean Delane is going to keep playing at this level all season. Eventually, he’ll draw some of the NFL’s elite wideouts, and there will almost certainly be a few “welcome to the NFL” moments along the way. That’s part of being a rookie cornerback in this league.
But through the first four games, it’s difficult to imagine Kansas City asking for much more.
Delane has gone from a rookie tasked with replacing McDuffie to one of the most exciting young pieces on Spagnuolo’s defense. And if this is only the beginning, the Chiefs may have found their next lockdown corner.
Not a bad way to start an NFL career—and certainly not a bad way to help a team start 4-0.
Mansoor Delane is Proving Why the Chiefs Took Him in the First Round
Delane is making it increasingly difficult to remember why anyone doubted the Chiefs’ decision to draft him in the first round. The rookie has been everywhere for Kansas City. Delane racked up 10 tackles in the Chiefs’ Week 3 win over the Miami Dolphins, then followed it up with another 10 tackles—seven solo—and a pass defense in Sunday’s thrilling 30-27 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
That back-to-back double-digit tackle stretch is no fluke, either. Through the first three games of his NFL career, Delane has already piled up 20 tackles, 14 solo stops, and three passes defended, including an interception.
He’s also been a fixture on the field. Delane played 78 of Kansas City’s 84 defensive snaps against Las Vegas, good for a massive 92.9 percent snap share. He was the only Chiefs defender to crack double-digit tackles.
Delane has the potential to become one of the league’s premier young cornerbacks, and he’s already making a strong case that the Chiefs knew exactly what they were doing. Maybe Kansas City didn’t reach for a corner.
Maybe they found their next star cornerback.
Main Image: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
