
Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid addressed reporters in a press conference shortly after Thursday night of the NFL Draft. He shared his thoughts on LSU defensive back Mansoor Delane's selection and early comparisons to Trent McDuffie.
"Mansoor, he's a little bit bigger, Mansoor is a little bit taller, but both of them are physical guys, and (Trent) McDuffie proved that he can do it at this level. This kid's coming in. He's got to do that part," said Reid, "But their traits in college look similar, the Quick feet, the plant and drive, eliminating excess steps, being able to play man coverage, getting up on you and pressing you, ball skills."
Delane was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back. Tied for ninth in the FBS with 1.2 passes defensed per game. Reid revealed that recent conversations with Delane played a role in his selection.
"You don't want corners that don't have confidence. If somebody's gonna be cocky, you want those guys to be cocky. But he's a confident guy. He believes in himself, but he also has a humble side, which I appreciated. You can get a little bit of that in those Zooms, because we grill them and we're not showing all the good plays when he played," said Reid, "So any of these guys would pull out a couple of their bad ones and show them to him. So we're not there to pump their egos up; some guys handle that good and some don't, but he handled it very upfront. Get a good feel for him on those, so he gave me the same energy."
The Chiefs are revamping their secondary following the departures of McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, and Bryan Cook at the start of the offseason. Delane is an essential piece of the new look unit ahead of the 2026 season.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Chiefs HC Andy Reid comments on the selection of Mansoor Delane
